Unexpected Partners
by x.Chrissy.x
Summary: When Hermione and Draco are captured by Death Eaters, will they be able to work together to stay alive? Or will they kill each other before the Death Eaters get a chance to?
1. Chapter 1

**Unexpected Partners**

Chapter 1

"If it isn't our Auror of the Month!" Harry called out as Hermione entered the break room.

Hermione blushed as she quickly walked over to the table and sat down. "I still don't know how you two talked me into becoming an auror all those years ago." She said, as she smoothed out her black Ministry issued robes and issued a glare at Harry and Ron.

Harry smiled at her, thinking about how they have all changed in the last 5 years. Hermione finally tamed her crazy hair but wore it up in a messy bun most days. She had been reluctant to become an auror but after she finished her 7th year, Harry and Ron had begged her to join. In the year she was at school, they had realized that it wasn't the same without her. So, they promptly got her to join the team after she had graduated. Now she was one of the best aurors on the team and her quick wit had gotten them out of many sticky situations.

Harry glanced over at Ron, who was in the middle of eating a sandwich. Ron hadn't changed all that much physically over the years but he had at least learned to control his tongue. He didn't say such stupid things all the time but he owed that to Lavender. The two of them had started dating again a couple of years ago and have been inseparable since. Harry had noticed a distinct change in maturity since then and was grateful for it. He still had his hot temper but he wouldn't be Ron without it.

And Harry, well, he didn't think he changed all that much. He had started dating Ginny right after Hogwarts but over the years they grew apart. She was always away since she joined the Holyhead Harpies as a chaser and it was difficult for them to make time for each other. It was only about a year ago that they realized they might not be meant for each other and decided to part ways. It was for the best and they managed to stay friendly. He was grateful for that since he knew that he would always want her in his life in one way or another.

"Lost in thought?" Hermione asked the obviously zoned out wizard.

Harry shook his head slightly, being brought back to reality. He looked at her and smiled. "Yes, well, I was thinking about how you're obviously invaluable to the team." He answered cheekily. "In fact, we should get awards just for convincing you to join."

She swatted him in the arm. "Oh, you're insufferable. It's not like both you and Ron haven't won the award three times already!"

Ron chuckled. "But, 'Mione, this is your fourth time!" He replied.

"You're the one who bagged the last death eater." Harry agreed.

Hermione blushed. "Yes, well, you were all with me."

"But we couldn't have done it without you!" Ron beamed.

"That's true, hence the reason you're perfect for the award this month." Gawain Robards said from behind them.

"Oh!" Hermione said as she jumped in her seat a little. "Well, thank you, sir." Turning around to look at her slightly round, slightly bald boss.

"You're very welcome. I'm just here to drop off the new partner assignments." He said as he put a piece of paper on the table. "There are no partner changes, the list is final." He gave a pointed look at Hermione and then smiled.

The three of them nodded as he walked away. Hermione quickly snatched the paper up and started to look at the pairings. "Let's see, Harry you're partnered with Katie Bell." She said and Harry nodded his head. "Ron, you're partnered with Justin Finch-Fletchly."

"Figures, I get put with the Hufflepuff." Ron snorted.

"Ronald, don't you think we're a little too old to keep on with house rivalries?" Hermione scolded.

Ron just shrugged as she continued to scan the list for her name. "And it looks like I'm partnered with...no." She said as she found her name.

"Who is it?" Harry asked curiously.

Hermione threw the paper on the table. "Malfoy." She answered. "I'm partnered with Malfoy."

Harry and Ron both groaned. "Ugh. I'm sorry. I still don't know how that prat ever became an auror." Harry said sympathetically.

"You'd think they'd have a rule against death eaters becoming aurors." Ron said disgustedly.

"Well, you'd think they'd had a rule against red headed weasels as well, but they apparently don't." They heard a scowl behind them. They all turned around to see the pale blond Draco Malfoy leaning against the doorway in his Ministry issued robes.

"What the hell do you want?" Ron spat.

"Fortunately, nothing that concerns you." Draco said as he pushed off the door frame and sauntered up to the table. "It seems that we're partners, Granger."

"Yes, it does seem that way." She said, not bothering to look at the blond.

"Probably because you need all the help you can get, Malfoy!" Ron said.

Draco smirked. "Tsk, tsk. Is that how you talk to the auror who has the record for most Auror of the Month awards?"

"Whatever, Malfoy. Hermione's only one behind you." Harry pointed out.

"Yes, but she's where she belongs, now isn't it? _Behind_ me." He chuckled.

Hermione's head snapped up. "Was there something you wanted, Malfoy?" She said, anger starting to get the best of her.

"Oh, right. Gawain sent me to tell you that we are meeting tomorrow to go over the next assignment and renew our partner vows. 9am, sharp." He drawled in a way that bothered Hermione even more.

"Fine, you told us. Now please leave." She demanded.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then, _partner_." He said as he winked at her and sauntered out of the room.

"Arg, he's such a git!" Hermione said as soon as he was gone.

Both Harry and Ron looked at her sympathetically. "Sorry you're going to have to put with that." Harry said sincerely.

"Me too." Ron agreed.

"Me three." Hermione answered.

************

Hermione looked at the clock as she entered the Ministry. 8:57am. She swiftly went down the hallway and into the conference room. She saw Harry sitting next to Katie, Ron next to Justin and Malfoy sitting next to empty seat. She sighed as she walked over to the empty seat and sat down.

"Oh good! Everyone's here! We can get started right away then." Gawain said as he entered the room. "Let's start with our partner vows. As you are all aware, with new partners come new vows. Let's start with Hermione and Draco." He said as he motioned them to come forward.

Hermione begrudgingly got out of her chair and walked to the front of the room followed by Draco. She put out her right hand and Draco just stared at it as if it was diseased. "Just grab my bloody hand." She said under her breath.

Draco looked at her and out of the corner of his eye saw Gawain waiting for him. Never did he think that he would have to take an unbreakable vow to protect Hermione Granger but he figured it was better than being partnered with the annoying Ron Weasley or the stupidly famous Harry Potter. He let out a grumble before wrapping his pale hand around her tan one.

"Excellent!" Gawain said as he took out his wand. "Let's start with Draco. Go on then."

Draco swallowed before starting to say the words that were drilled into his mind during auror training. "Will you do everything in your power to protect me while on Ministry assignments?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione took her duties seriously no matter who they may involve and straightened up her back. "I will." She answered. Flames came out of Gawain's wand, wrapping itself around the interlocked hands.

"While on Ministry assignment, will you stay with me no matter what the cost?" He asked in a clearly rehearsed tone.

"I will." She answered. Another tongue of fire came out and wrapped itself around them.

"And will you put your life on the line to save me if necessary?" He asked the final question.

"I will." She answered steadily. The flames then turned into interlocking chains binding the two hands. The chains disappeared, signally the end of the unbreakable vow.

"Your turn, Hermione." Gawain said.

Hermione licked her lips. "Will you do everything in your power to protect me while on Ministry assignments?"

Draco answered quickly. "I will." The vow started again with a flame of fire binding them.

"While on Ministry assignment, will you stay with me no matter what the cost?" She asked, looking him in the eye.

"I will." He answered as another tongue of fire wrapped around their hands.

Hermione took a deep breath. "And will you put your life on the line to save me if necessary?"

Draco hesitated for a moment before answering. "I will." He said a little less forcefully. The flames again turned into linked chains and disappeared signaling the end of the vow they had both taken.

"There! Now, as you both have taken the partner vow to protect each other, you are officially partners." Gawain said, beaming.

However, no one else in the class looked thrilled at the announcement. Hermione and Draco sat back down in their seats both looking bothered. They were now bound together to protect each other; something they never thought necessary.

Hermione was of course aware of the partners vows. They were taught about it in auror training; it was to ensure the safety of each partnership. She understood the need, of course. The ministry used a slightly modified version of the unbreakable vow, though. As opposed to never being able to be broken, the vow was lifted once you changed partners. It would be too dangerous to be on an assignment with two people you'd taken the vow with. So, as soon as you took another partner vow, the previous one dissolved.

The next two sets of partners went through the same vows and she noticed that they were both visibly more relaxed than both her and Draco were. She looked at her new partner from the corner of her eye and tried to not audibly sigh.

"Now that we are all partnered up, we can start talking about the assignment." Gawain said, getting everyone's attention. "We think we have found the location of a death eater camp. I would like the 6 of you to scout it out, tonight. Do not take any action as I believe there are quite a few death eaters there."

Everyone looked around the room at each other. They had found a few death eaters here and there but not a whole camp. "Where is it?" Hermione asked.

"It's about 60 kilometers north of London, within the woods." Gawain answered. "I have paired you all with people I think you will have the most success with."

Draco failed to stifle a laugh at that part. Gawain looked at him pointedly. "Something funny, Draco?"

Draco just shrugged his shoulders noncommittally, not trusting himself to voice his thoughts.

Gawain looked at the pair and sighed. "I understand that you two may have some...personal difficulties but you are two of my brightest aurors and you need to put them aside.. I think, especially now that you have both taken the partner vow, that you both will complement each other nicely."

Hermione begrudgingly saw the truth in that. They were the two of the smartest people in the department, that was for sure. And the partner vow would ensure her relative safety around him. In fact, if he wasn't such an insufferable prat, she could see this being a good partnership.

Gawain watched the two new partners appraise each other but neither contradicted what he said so he continued. "I expect there will be some high profile death eaters at this camp, including Lucius Malfoy." All eyes went to Draco but he chose to say nothing, his lips becoming a thin line. "I also expect that the Carrow siblings are there as well. Meet up here and I will apparate with you all at 8pm for the scouting mission. I will not stay, of course, and you all will be able to apparate back here when you need to." He watched everyone nod their assent. "Good, I'll see you all tonight." He said and then walked out of the room.

The 6 aurors sat in silence for a moment before anyone stirred. Out of everyone, it was Draco who got up first. "I'll see you all tonight." He said tightly, obviously still affected by the idea that he might confront his father. He quickly strode out of the room, his Ministry robes ruffling behind him.

"Blimey, I didn't think Gawain would put Malfoy on an assignment like this." Ron said quietly.

Harry agreed. "I hope he can handle it."

Hermione thought about it for a moment before saying anything. "As a former death eater, he will probably be very useful to this mission."

Everyone looked at her, surprised that she would defend him, but within a minute what she said sunk in and they all reluctantly nodded their heads. "I suppose that's true." Harry admitted.

"Well, I'm going to do some research." Hermione said standing up. "I'll see you all tonight." And with that, she walked out the door.

*********

Hermione was walking with Draco through the dark woods. Harry and Katie were 10 meters to their right and Ron and Justin were 10 meters from there. It was eerie walking through the woods with no light save for their wands and it reminded Hermione of all the times she was in the Forbidden Forest at night. She remembered the time that she had to find Grawp in the forest and shuddered in her memory. Lost in thought, she stepped on a fallen branch, snapping it loudly.

Draco cursed under his breath and glared at his partner. "Granger! What the hell are you trying to do?"

Hermione broke out of her reverie at the sound of the snap. She flushed red in embarrassment, thankful he couldn't see it. She didn't normally lose track of her mind on an assignment. "Sorry, I didn't see it." She said quickly.

"You need to pay more attention. A stunt like that and we could be killed!" Draco hissed at her.

"I didn't mean to, okay? Now stop being so argumentative." She whispered loudly back.

"Well, stop being so clumsy!" He shot back.

"I wasn't being clumsy! It was a mistake! I just didn't see it!" She argued.

Draco looked over at her and saw her hand gripping her wand tightly. "Whatever Granger. You're as quiet as a - "

"Well, what do we have here?" A male voice called out, causing the two to freeze.

Immediately their auror training came to the forefront of their minds and they stood back to back, wands drawn. Both cursed themselves for letting an argument distract them. "Who's there?" Hermione called out.

Suddenly 6 wands illuminated making it very clear that the two aurors were outnumbered. Still they held their ground with their wands drawn. "What do you want?" Hermione asked as Draco eyed the people surrounding them. They were in full death eater regalia, including the silver masks.

"Hermione! Malfoy! Everything alright?" Harry called out from a ways away. Hermione and Draco turned their heads to Harry's voice and both immediately knew they made a mistake.

"Petrificus Totalus!" All of the death eaters yelled in the moment that they were distracted.

"Protego!" Hermione yelled and blocked the first spell but didn't have enough time to block the second one. She immediately became stiff, nothing but her eyes able to move. She heard Draco yell the same spell, able to shield against two of the attacks but the third one got through. She saw Draco stiffen up as well and she could hear Harry and Katie's footsteps coming closer.

"Quickly, grab them and lets apparate before the others get here." A female said grabbing Hermione's arm.

Hermione heard Harry scream her name as he came into view and then she felt the familiar squeezing sensation of side along apparition.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N: Here's my next story, hope you all enjoy it. I'm trying to keep variety in my writing so hopefully this will be a nice change from my last story. PLEASE REVIEW and let me know what you think. I consider all suggestions and always welcome ways to improve my story. ENJOY! -Chrissy**


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione opened her eyes to see that they had apparated somewhere within the woods. She watched as a death eater looked at a tree and pressed a rather large knot revealing a passageway. She felt herself being levitated since she was still bound and couldn't walk. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Draco being levitated as well.

Draco was well acquainted with secret passageways; Malfoy Manor had a dozen. As soon as the tree opened up, he realized that the Gawain was wrong. There wasn't a camp in the woods, the woods was just their entrance and exit point. He was sure the passageway would lead to a large house of some sort and if it had secret passageways, he was sure it would have a dungeon.

They went through the passageway for what seemed like half an hour before they came to a doorway. One of the death eaters put their hand on a stone in the wall and the door opened, pouring light into the passageway. They were brought into a drafty room with stone walls and ceiling.

Draco heard a door open and his body passed the couple of death eaters that were in front of him. As soon as his body passed the doorway, he found himself released from the levitation and rolling down the stairs. He hit the bottom hard, knocking all the wind out of him. Before he had a moment to recover, he heard Hermione hit the stairs and fall on top of him, the wind being knocked out of him for the second time.

He quickly realized that he could use his hands and he heard Hermione groan. They must have taken the body bind off when they threw them down here. He heard the door being slammed shut and the sound of laughter from behind it. "Wait 'til our Lord sees who we got!" A female voice said as it drifted away.

"Granger? Are you alright?" Draco asked the person currently lying on top of him.

Hermione shifted a little before answering. "Yes, I think so."

"Good, then get the bloody hell off of me!" He grunted trying to push her off.

"No need to be so rude." She rolled off of him and stood up trying to brush off her robes.

She looked around and was glad that she had worn a cloak since the room was quite cold. The room itself was maybe 6 meters x 9 meters, somewhat large for a room but small enough to feel confined. The walls were made up of stone and there were two small slits in the walls which she assumed were windows. The ceiling was about 4.5 meters high and the slits were very close to the ceiling making it impossible to look outside. There was a doorway to the right that when she looked in it realized had a toilet in it. She blushed as she realized there was no door in the doorway. And of course, there was the stairs she had fallen down, not many, 8 of them, which led up to a metal door.

Draco had stood up and was looking around as well. For some reason, the room looked somewhat familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it. He continued to look around, staring carefully at the stone walls. Finally he saw it, by the door, there was a small crest carved into one of the stones.

Draco turned around. "I've been here before." He said as Hermione looked at him from across the room.

"You have?" Hermione looked at him confused. "Have you been sequestered in a dungeon before and just not told anyone?" She asked sarcastically.

Draco rolled his eyes at her. "Of course not. However, I have been given a tour of this particular house." He pointed at the crest on the stone. "That's the LeStrange crest. This used to be Aunt Bellatrix's manor. It's hidden, of course, and now that I think about it, it's a perfect hiding place for death eaters."

Hermione walked quickly over to him and looked at the stone he pointed to. Indeed, there was a small crest, with what looked like a snake, a dragon, and stars on it. She rubbed her fingers against the etching and sighed.

"I still can't believe we managed to get ourselves caught." Hermione said, putting her forehead against the cold wall.

"Well, you were the one off in la la land and making a ruckus." Draco accused.

She lifted her head to glare at him. "Well, you didn't have to pick a fight. You distracted me more."

"Well, you shouldn't have been distracted in the first place." He argued.

Hermione harrumphed. "I already said I was sorry."

"Well, sorry isn't going to get us out of here." Draco replied nastily.

"You don't need to be such a jerk." She said, narrowing her eyes at him.

Draco looked at her for a moment. "We should never have been partners."

"Well at least we agree on something. I don't know what Gawain was thinking." She said vehemently. "I mean, he could've given me _anyone_ else for a partner."

"Seriously. I knew we were up for partner changes soon but I thought Gawain would have had more sense than this." Draco answered exasperatedly.

The Auror department always gave the aurors right out of training more experienced partners for the first few years until they got used to their job. After a few years they got assigned their more permanent partners. So, Draco knew that it was time for their partner switch, his mentor partner told him as much only a week ago.

"Well, what do we do now?" Hermione asked, looking around the room.

"We're locked up in a dungeon, I don't think there's a lot we can do right now." Draco answered snidely.

Hermione rolled her eyes and went to the back wall. She sat down with her back to the wall and closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked walking towards her.

"Well, I might as well try to get some rest." She answered, her eyes still closed.

Draco sighed and sat down beside her. "You might have a point there, Granger. Who know what's going to happen next." He said, leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes as well.

***********

Hermione awoke with a terrible crick in her neck. She opened her eyes to find herself leaning over and her head on Draco's shoulder. Her head snapped up when she realized she was leaning on him and the memories of the night before flooded back to her. Light came in through the slits in the wall so she knew it had to be the next morning. She groaned as she twisted her head side to side, trying to work out the pain.

Draco awoke to something jostling his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Hermione quickly move away from him and he realized that he was sitting in a dungeon. He leaned his head back against the stone and sighed. How was he going to get out of this?

"They have no idea where we are." Hermione whispered to no one in particular, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks. "What are we going to do?"

Draco opened his eyes and looked at her. "Apparently, we aren't going to do anything. They have our wands and there's nothing we can do but wait."

She nodded her head and looked at the ground despairingly.

Draco saw the sadness starting to come over her and he decided that what he didn't need was a partner who gave up. "So what, is that it? Is that all the mudblood genius has?" He sneered. "Are you just going to give up because your knight in shining armor Potter isn't here to save you, like always? And here I thought I had a competent partner at the very least."

Hermione's head snapped up and she glared at him. "Harry didn't always save me!" Her temper flared. "I'm more than competent as you are well aware. I'll never give up." She said, crossing her arms in defiance in front of her.

Draco smirked, delighted that his prodding worked. "I suppose we shall see about that then." He said as he watched her get all worked up.

The door at the top of the stairs opened, revealing two people at the top: Alecto and Amycus Carro. They were obviously talking to someone behind them. "They're down here, my Lord." They moved out of the way to let the third person pass. Hermione and Draco jumped up from their position on the floor, instantly in a defensive posture.

Hermione gasped when she saw Lucius Malfoy make his way down the stairs with the Carrows following behind him. She instinctually stood closer to Draco and he took a step closer to her as well, their shoulders almost touching.

Lucius looked over the two prisoners and sneered. "Well, if it isn't my blood traitor son and the mudblood." He looked them over. "I guess the rumors were true then, you became an auror." He spat.

Draco said nothing but stared at his father. He hadn't seen him since he fled before his trial and he instantly did the exact opposite of what his father wanted: he became an auror. His mother had been proud of his decision, without Lucius there she had become the loving and supportive mother that he had always seen in private. It only made him despise his father more.

"Well, _son_," He spat the word as if it had a bad taste in his mouth. "I'm willing to give you another chance. Join me and help my finish what the Dark Lord started. We can still win this."

Draco couldn't help but laugh. "Win? Father, really? You have already lost. The War is over and you _lost_." He said incredulously.

Lucius narrowed his eyes at him. "You are no son of mine." He growled. "Crucio!"

Draco was instantly on the floor, screaming in pain. He was aware of nothing other than the searing pain engulfing his body.

Hermione's eyes widened as she watched Draco writhe on the floor. She remembered her experience with the curse and shuddered at the memory. She took a step forward to try to stop Lucius when she felt a wand in her side. "Don't even think about taking another step." Alecto snarled. She watched helplessly as Draco was tortured before her eyes.

Lucius lifted the curse and watched the sweat pour off Draco's face. Draco wheezed and gulped for air. He snarled at his only son and bent down to him. "You should learn to respect your superiors, boy." He straightened up and turned his gaze to Hermione. "Potter will come after you." He said, appraising her. "That is the only reason you're still alive."

"He'll find you, you know! And he'll send you to Azkaban for the rest of your pathetic life!" Hermione said defiantly.

"Oh really?" Lucius drawled. "Impedimenta!" He said as he pointed his wand at her. The spell hit her straight in the chest and she flew back into the wall. She gasped as she hit the wall and slid down, stunned from the blow. Lucius walked up to her and bent over so that he was face to face with her. "I would watch your tongue if I were you, otherwise you may no longer have one." He straightened up and walked out of the room with the Carrows following behind him.

Draco was still reeling from the cruciatus curse but was able to follow most of what happened. He crawled over to her and looked her over. "Are you alright?" He asked, looking for any obvious injuries.

She groaned but started moving all her joints. "I think I'm alright, just bruised I'm sure."

He sat next to her with his back against the wall. "You shouldn't have talked back to him, you know." He said, looking as her accusingly.

"I wasn't the only one. And at least I didn't get crucio'd." She said incredulously, glaring at him, as her hands rubbed the back of her head searching for bumps.

"Whatever, Granger. He was going to crucio me whether or not I said anything. You just said something stupid." He shot back.

She rolled her eyes as she continued to make sure everything was okay. She took off her cloak and saw a gash on her arm. She looked at it for a moment before saying "episkey" and the wound healed itself. "I guess it's good they made us learn a little wandless magic in training." She said quietly, the tension between them dissipating at the mention of auror training.

Draco nodded remembering that lesson in training. He had a hard time grasping the concept of wandless magic but by the end was able to perform all the spells . "I suppose so. I would imagine it was for this reason."

The door opened and a tray clattered on the top stair and the door quickly slammed shut. Draco managed to pick himself up and collect the tray. He returned with it and evaluated the contents. Two stale bread rolls and two cups of water. He picked up one of the rolls and knocked it again the wall. The bread didn't give at all.

"Do you think its poisioned?" Hermione asked, looking skeptically at the rations.

Draco smirked. "This roll is so stale I doubt they could've gotten it to absorb any poison. And besides, like my father said, he's trying to keep us alive if for any reason but to get Potter."

Hermione nodded. "We should hold on to it, ration it out. We don't know when we'll get food again."

"Agreed. I don't need any yet. Do you?" He asked.

She shook her head. She thought for a moment before saying anything else. "Why is your father still after Harry?"

Draco sighed. "Before his trial, I remember him blaming Potter for everything. He thinks that Potter ruined his chances at being powerful, at being even richer, and ruined his life in general. I imagine this is all for revenge. My father is one of the most vindictive people I have ever met." He answered.

"Well, at least we know he won't kill us." Hermione said, a touch of relief in her voice.

Draco shook his head sadly. "That will probably be worse because knowing my father, he's going to make us wish we were dead." He whispered.

* * *

**A/N: Chapter 2! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I'm still working out the details in my head but I like the way it's coming along so far. Please review! I would love feedback on how I'm doing with this story given it is dramatically different from my last story. I hope this one is as successful as my last! ~Chrissy**


	3. Chapter 3

Hermione looked at the wall and looked at the scratch marks she put into the stone with a pebble she found. 3 hashes. 3 days. They had been there for 3 days and no one had said anything to them since the first morning. They got a piece of bread and a cup of water every day and that was it for the interaction. It was a little disconcerting. She looked at Draco and he seemed be staring at the LeStrange crest again. He had spent hours staring at it as if it would reveal something more than being an etching in stone. They had barely talked to each other since the first morning and it was probably for the best because what would they say? It's not like they were the type to make conversation with each other even if there was no one else around for company. She sat down on top of her cloak; it was balled up to act as a very thin cushion. Next to hers was Draco's cloak, balled up in the same way. She sighed as she reached out and touched the hash marks. She started to wonder if the waiting for something to happen was worse than something actually happening.

Draco stood there tracing the crest with his fingers. He had spent hours of each day just standing there and staring at it. He couldn't help it, though. It felt like there something on the tip of his brain that he just couldn't remember. It was bothering him to no end but there was nothing he could do but stare at it.

"Staring at it isn't going to make it change, you know." Hermione said from across the room.

Draco looked over at her and sneered. "Yes well, carving lines into the wall isn't helping us either."

"I'm marking the days, you prat. We're going to want to know how long we're here." She countered in a huff.

He glared at her. "Well, what would you rather, have me come over to you and make idle chit chat like a girlfriend? Oh wait, you don't have any girlfriends, do you? All you have is that weasel that dumped you for an airhead and Potter who's too busy saving the world, one death eater at a time." He rolled his eyes for emphasis.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "At least I have friends who didn't murder muggles for fun."

"Always bringing up the past, are we? You have no better rebuttal than to use the past against me because as the whole Auror Department knows, I'm a good guy now and everyone bloody knows it." He spat.

"Good guy, my arse." Hermione answered impetuously.

The door opened for what he assumed was their daily rations but the door stayed open this time. The argument long forgotten, Draco immediately sprinted to the back of the room to the spot next to Hermione as she stood up as well. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before they tried to get information out of them.

Alecto Carrow came down the stairs, looking at the two prisoners carefully. Her frizzy hair was everywhere and she was just as round and plump as before. She sneered at the prisoners in front of her, slightly baring her teeth. Amycus was standing at the door, wand drawn and aimed at the two.

"Well, let's see, who to start with." She cackled, looking from one to the other. Both Hermione and Draco stood their ground, neither giving her the satisfaction of seeing them afraid. Eventually, her eyes landed on Hermione and stayed there. "Lady's first, I suppose." She said, grabbing Hermione roughly by the arm.

"Let go of her." Draco said, taking a step forward as he watched Hermione tense up.

Alecto jabbed her wand into Hermione's side. "Unless you want her to suffer more, I'd take a step back if I were you." She warned. "Besides, you'll have your turn soon enough."

Draco glared at her but didn't move as she roughly pulled Hermione by the arm, her wand jabbing her harder in the side. He could see Hermione grit her teeth together in pain but watched how she refused to even give them a whimper. Alecto dragged her up the stairs, Hermione tripping from being pulled. The last thing Draco saw was the door slamming shut behind her. He sighed deeply as he sat down against the wall, staring at the door, waiting for her return.

Hermione was shoved down the hallway and finally was thrown into a larger room. In fact, it had a fireplace and a desk as if someone used it as a study. The room was noticeably warmer than the cell and sparsely decorated. Lucius sat behind the desk and looked up as she was flung to the floor. The high pitched laughter of Alecto rang through the air as she hit the floor.

"I see you picked the mudblood." Lucius drawled standing up and walking around his desk.

Hermione scowled at him as he came closer, trying to get up on her feet.

"Oh, it's ok. You won't be standing long." Lucius smiled wickedly. "Crucio!" He yelled as she quickly dropped and writhed on the floor, trying to not scream. Quickly he released the curse. "That was just a taste, my dear." He said. "Now, how much more you get depends on how you answer my questions."

"I have nothing to say to you." Hermione spat from the floor. She had lifted herself onto her knees and glared at him.

"Pity. Crucio!" He aimed his wand at her and held her under the spell longer. She finally couldn't hold back as a scream was ripped from her throat. The Carrow siblings laughed manically in the background at the sound of her suffering.

"Now, let me ask a question before you so rudely interrupt again." He said as he lifted the curse. "What death eaters have you arrested in the past few years?"

Hermione glared at him but refused to answer. He clucked his tongue at her and shook his head. She felt the cruciatus curse rip through her body again, longer and more powerful than the last. She couldn't control the guttural scream that came out of her and she felt like her entire body was engulfed in flames. When it was lifted, she panted for breath but still managed to glare at the elder Malfoy.

"How about now? Will you answer my question?" He asked sneeringly.

Again, Hermione stayed quiet and Lucius glared at her. "Where are any death eaters still hiding?" He asked forcefully.

Hermione continue to glare at him and she felt herself hit with the same curse again. And once again, it was longer and more powerful than the last. Her body couldn't take the pain and finally it shut down.

Lucius sneered while looking at the unconscious girl. "Bring her back to the cell. Go get me the boy." He said to the Carrows as he leaned against his desk, waiting for them to return.

The Carrow siblings grabbed an arm each, and practically dragged her down the hall, dragging her limp feet against the floor. They opened the doors and dragged her down the stairs and threw her to the floor where she landed in a heap.

Draco was instantly on his feet and went over to check on Hermione when he felt a wand in his side.

"It's your turn." Amycus said as he poked Draco with his wand. "Leave the mudblood, get up the stairs."

Alecto cackled as Draco gave a quick glance to Hermione. He didn't see any obvious injuries or blood so he determined it was probably the cruciatus curse. Judging by the screams he heard, they must have hit her at least three times before she passed out. He shuddered at the thought. He felt himself get jabbed hard by the wand so he made his way up the stairs and down the hall.

He was thrown to the floor of the room and landed at his father's feet. He quickly stood up and looked his father in eye.

Lucius sneered at his son as he saw the defiant look in his eyes. "You have become nothing but a worthless blood traitor in my absence. You are a disgrace to the Malfoy name."

"No, Father, if anything, I have brought more respect back to the Malfoy name than you ever have." He shot back.

"I warned you to respect your superiors, boy. Crucio!" Lucius yelled.

Draco once again felt the agony of the curse, dropping to his knees while clenching his teeth. As soon as it was lifted, he leaned forward on his hands, gasping.

"I'll give you one more chance. Join me, become a spy for me, Draco." Lucius implored coldly.

"No." Draco answered steadily and winced as he expected to be cursed again. He was surprised when nothing happened and shakily stood back up on his feet.

Lucius eyed his son carefully, deciding what he would say next.

"Join me and I'll let both you and the mudblood go. Otherwise, I will make both your lives a living hell." Lucius threatened.

Draco was about to tell his father to go to hell when he thought of something. _Will you do everything in your power to protect me while on Ministry assignments?_ Draco remembered the vow he took. Did this count, he wondered. Would betraying the Ministry count as protecting his partner?

Lucius watched his son waver and a smirk appeared on his face.

"Yes son, I'll let you out, back to your own life, just under my command. You'd be a hero for escaping with the mudblood." Lucius said, trying to persuade him to the cause. Guessing completely wrong at why Draco was wavering.

Draco's eyes narrowed as he looked at his father. His father had just convinced him that betraying the Ministry would be an unacceptable solution no matter what the cost. He would find another way, if he had to, but there was no way he'd betray everyone. "No." He answered, confident in his decision.

Lucius glared at his son. "Very well then. I will treat you as a prisoner for you are not my son." He answered snidely.

Lucius quickly grabbed Draco's left arm and when Draco fought back, he was quickly binded by one of the Carrow siblings. Draco continued to struggle but eventually he knew he was just wasting energy. Lucius held on to Draco's left arm tighter and pushed up his sleeve to reveal the slightly faded dark mark from years ago. It had faded from the onyx black to a dark gray and had a more sunken in look to it from years of inactivity.

Lucius growled. "You no longer deserve this! Flagrate!" Lucius' wand tip glowed red and ever so slowly he lowered it down and burned the skin on Draco's arm. He traced the outline of the mark with the red hot wand until the entire dark mark was covered in red blistered skin.

Draco screamed out in pain from the searing of his arm. The smell of burning flesh filled his nostrils and a desire to become sick almost overwhelmed him. His entire arm felt on fire and when his father finally stopped, the pain only got worse. It felt like it was still actively burning and every single spot of burned skin was only getting hotter. It surprisingly hurt worse than when he got the dark mark in the first place.

"I will make you wish you were never born." Lucius promised as he dropped Draco's arm. "Get him out of my sight!" He commanded as the Carrow siblings unbound him and pushed him out of the room with their wands in his back.

Draco cradled his left arm against his body as the burning sensation seemed to only get worse. As the breeze hit his arm as he walked, he had the sensation of millions of needles pricking at an open wound on his forearm. Alecto opened the door as Amycus pushed him through the doorway almost causing him to fall down the stairs. He stumbled down and he noticed that Hermione wasn't where he left her. He looked up and saw her sitting on her cloak, her back against the wall and her eyes trained on him. The door slammed behind him as he made his way over to her, put his back against the wall and slid down.

"I woke up to your screaming. Are you alright?" She asked, noticing the way he was holding his left arm.

"I'm just peachy, Granger. Couldn't be better." He answered sarcastically.

Hermione's eyes hardened but grabbed his left arm anyway. She heard him hiss through his teeth as she pushed up his robe and her breath hitched as she saw the badly burned skin. "What did he do?" She asked in shock.

"What does it look like? He burned me." Draco answered through gritted teeth.

Realization dawned upon her as she realized what was there. "The dark mark." She whispered as she looked at the scorched skin between his wrist and elbow. She had never known whether or not he had actually gotten one back in their Hogwarts days but this quickly confirmed it.

"Very good, Granger. You figured it out all on your own." Draco said sarcastically, trying to keep his mind off the pain.

Hermione was about to retort when she looked up at his face and noticed it contorted in pain. His eyes were squeezed shut and his jaw was clenched as if he was trying to concentrate on anything other than his arm. The comeback died in her throat and she looked back down at the burn. "Episkey." She said as she concentrated on the burn. She watched the blisters heal but the redness and the scarring remained. "I'm afraid that's the best I can do. It shouldn't become infected, though." She answered, letting go of his arm.

Draco quickly took his arm back and let out a breath as the worst of the pain went away. He looked at his red, angry skin in contrast to the pale skin all around it. The scarring of the burn covered most of his forearm and while there was still a great amount of pain, it wasn't as searing as before. The scar he would have would look like the shape of the dark mark, he thought ruefully. He looked up at his partner and saw her concerned look and realized that he wasn't the only one tortured today.

His face softened slightly as he looked her over. "Are you alright?" He asked his partner.

Hermione looked surprised for a moment before answered. "I was just crucio'd a few times. No physical damage. I guess my body just couldn't take it anymore." She answered, looking down at her hands.

"It's probably for the best. He would have kept going." Draco answered; remember his father's parting words to him. "We need to get out of here. We won't live through this otherwise."

Hermione nodded. "But how?"

"I don't know, but we better come up with something quick. This is only the beginning." He answered quietly.

** ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N: This chapter took longer than normal...I was trying to show the interesting dynamic of being confined with someone you don't like yet have a responsibility towards their well-being. It's surprisingly difficult. Anyway, please continue to review! This story doesn't seem quite as popular as my last but I'm determined to continue! Reviews certainly help though! ~Chrissy**


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione was thrown to the cell floor and she grunted as she landed. The cell door slammed behind her and she looked up to see Draco looking down at her. She slowly got to her knees and took a deep breath. Her matted down, obviously dirty hair formed a curtain around her face as she struggled to not cry.

"You're still conscious this time." Draco said as he looked her over for any wounds. His eye caught a tinge of red on the front of her shirt.

She scooted over to the wall and sat against it. "They decided to go for more muggle means of torture this time around." She said as she lifted up her shirt to expose her stomach. Three gashes were cut across her stomach, oozing blood. She winced as the air hit her wounds.

Draco took a closer look at her injury. He saw the jaggedness of the cuts which meant they truly did use muggle means by using knives. "Episkey." Draco murmured, concentrating on her stomach.

She took a sharp breath as she felt the cuts healing. She looked down to see the cuts no longer bleeding but still red and puffy. There were raised lines where the slices had been. She gingerly touched the area and noticed that it was still very sensitive but definitely better than before. "Thanks. They must know by now that we can heal ourselves slightly." She said as she lowered her shirt.

Draco nodded. He was thinking the same thing. "Same questions?" He asked as he ran his hand through his now dirty and oily hair. It had been over a week since his last shower and it was really starting to show.

Hermione nodded. "Yes, they asked the same question. And they received the same answers." She looked down at the ground as she fidgeted. "They're getting crueler though, moving to muggle means. I can only imagine what will be next. "

Draco sat beside her and let out a long sigh. "They have come for one of us every day for the last week."

Hermione looked down at her hash marks, which were now up to 10. "I don't know how much longer we'll be able to do this. We're not getting much food and we're only getting weaker every day."

Draco's stomach rumbled as if it were agreeing with her as well. He leaned his head back against the cool stone and shivered slightly. The sun was setting and soon it would be dark. It had been getting cooler at night and the cell held almost no heat. He felt Hermione shiver as a breeze passed through the cell and he heard her teeth start to chatter. "Sit forward a bit." He said, not looking at her.

Hermione looked at him strangely but did as she was told. She felt his arm snake around her and pull her into him. Immediately she tensed as she pressed against him.

"Relax, Granger. We need at least one of our cloaks to sit on and there's no point in us freezing to death if we can help it." He said as he tightened his arm around her. He started to feel her body heat and he heard her teeth stop chattering.

Hermione let out a breath and relaxed as best she could. She scooted over a little more, so that her head was in the crook of his neck and she couldn't help but think it fit perfectly. "I'm doing the best I can." She responded her body already warming up from the contact.

Draco draped the cloak around the two of them trying to keep as much heat in as possible. The light was completely gone from the cell and the two sat in the dark, puffs of their breath becoming visible. He became silent as he did every night, losing himself to his thoughts. Usually he would sit beside her and wait until her breathing became regular, a clear indicator that she was asleep. He would let his mind wander in the darkness, anything to keep him from thinking about his current predicament.

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked, wanting to break the silence between them.

"What?" He answered, shifting his weight slightly to get more comfortable. He wasn't used to having another person leaning against him.

Hermione hesitated for a moment. The lack of conversation was really starting to get to her and her stomach hurt too much to attempt to fall asleep. "What do you think about at night?"

Draco cocked his head to one side. "Why?" He answered curtly.

Hermione sighed. "Well, we always just sit here in the dark and I know that I fall asleep before you do. And, well, it's pretty lonely at night, even with you sitting next to me." She answered honestly.

"Why don't you just go to sleep like normal and stop trying to make conversation?" He replied, not really having much desire to let her into his thoughts.

Hermione shifted and winced at the pain in her stomach. "I don't think I could fall asleep." She whispered.

Draco felt her wince and realized that she still must be in pain. He sighed but could understand her desire to be distracted from the nasty injury she had sustained. "I think about my mother." He finally answered after a moment of silence.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up, not expecting that answer. "What about her?" She inquired curiously.

"Well, she's all alone now. I mean, I haven't lived at the Manor for a few years now but I would visit fairly often. She must be sick with worry. I just hope she's okay." He whispered hesitantly as if he had never voiced his feelings about his mother before.

Hermione felt herself relaxing a bit more into him and nodded her head. "You must truly love your mother."

Draco didn't say anything for a little while. "She's the only person who ever truly loved me." He answered softly as if admitting a deep dark secret.

"Surely, that can't be true!" Hermione said astonished. "What about Pansy? Or weren't you engaged to that Greengrass girl?"

Draco snorted. "Really Granger, I thought you were more observant than that. In Hogwarts, Pansy wanted me just because I was the Slytherin Prince. I was the one with the most influence in the House. It had nothing to do with love and all to do with power. And Astoria? That was just the more grown up version of Pansy. She wanted the wealth and power. It had less to do with love and more to do with how I could raise her status."

Draco thought back to his failed engagement, one that ended about a year ago. He wasn't so naive to think that she loved him but he certainly hoped that there was at least respect. However, when he overheard her on the floo talking about how she would be "Mrs. Malfoy" and then would do whatever she damn well pleased with whomever she wanted, well, that was the last straw. He cleared his throat to have a horrified Astoria turn around and he promptly asked for the engagement ring back. He hadn't talked to her since.

Hermione thought about what he said and figured that it was most likely true. She was still surprised at how much he had shared and decided to share some of her own. "Everyone thought that Ron and I belonged together. I think it got to a point where we stayed together just because that was what was expected." She admitted quietly.

This time it was Draco's turn to be surprised. He had assumed that the two were madly in love as did the rest of the wizarding world. They were all over the newspapers and their breakup had been breaking news. "Weren't you two together for years?"

"We were together for two and a half years." She answered. "We were the 'golden couple' of the 'golden trio'. How do you break that up? In all honesty, we weren't even in love for the last year of the relationship. I'm not even sure we ever were really in love. I found that when you think you're going to die, emotions are heightened and quite frankly, that's what our relationship was based on. That's just not sustainable, though." She said quietly. She felt a weight lift off her as she finally confessed her feelings. "I think we both knew it, we just never said it."

Draco could feel his mouth hang open slightly at the confession. "You had the whole wizarding world fooled, Granger."

"I know." Hermione smirked. "I think if it wasn't like that, we would never have been able to remain friends, so in a way, I'm grateful that it worked out this way."

Hermione's eyes started to droop as she snuggled into Draco's warmth. "Everything happens for a reason..." She said as she drifted off to sleep.

Draco leaned his head against the top of hers. _What kind of reason could possibly have us here?_ He thought as he found himself getting tired. Soon, he was fast asleep; dreaming of places other than the cell he currently resided in.

Hermione awoke and found herself pleasantly warm. She opened her eyes and saw pale blond hair in front of her face. Momentarily confused, she remembered that she was warm because of the arm that was secure around her and the head that was now resting on top of her own, spilling the blond hair in front of her face. She allowed herself a small smile at the memories of the night before but soon the kink in her neck begged her to move and stretch. She tried to maneuver herself away but her movements woke the blond boy up.

Draco froze for a moment as he saw himself entangled with Hermione. He quickly replayed the night before in his head before relaxing. He saw Hermione shoot him a sheepish smile before extracting herself from his grasp.

She stood up and quickly raised her arms above her head to stretch. As soon as she did, she winced as a sharp pain tore through her stomach. Quickly her arms came down and she lifted her shirt to see the area still an angry red.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked as he watched her study her wound.

"Yes, I think so. I just forgot that I was injured, that's all." She answered, pulling her shirt back down. She sat down and grabbed a small pebble. Slowly, she carved another hash mark into the wall, making the count 11.

Draco proceeded to stand up and stretch. His left sleeve fell down a bit and he saw his scarred forearm. It was mostly healed and thankfully not infected. He pulled the sleeve back down quickly before walking across the room.

Hermione watched as Draco crossed the room as he did every morning. He went to that stone block with the crest and his fingers traced the crest as if trying to get information out of it. She hadn't said anything about it in a week, figuring he was getting his mind off of his surroundings. She sighed as the cell door opened. She tensed up and she saw Draco stand up straight as well.

A metal tray fell onto the top step and the door slammed promptly shut. Hermione got up quickly and retrieved the tray from the stairs. This time there were 3 stale bread rolls and 2 cups of water. She took a sip of the water and her throat quickly reminded her how dry it was. She fought the urge to swallow the entire contents of the cup and put it back down. She looked up to see Draco with his head against the wall with both hands on either side of his head. She saw a look of frustration cross his face as he quickly took his hand and slammed it against the wall.

Draco's eyes widened in surprise and he felt the stone give. It had pushed in, he was positive of it. He inspected the stone and saw that it had been pushed in a very small amount and something came to his mind with the realization.

Quickly, Hermione was at his side as soon as the look of shock came across his face. "Did something happen?" She asked.

Draco kept quiet as a scene played out in his head.

_"And this, my dear Draco, are the dungeons." Bellatrix said with pride as they walked down the hall. "The Dark Lord will be so pleased when they are full of mudbloods, muggles and blood traitors."_

_Draco followed behind her, looking at the different cells. "It's quite expansive, Aunt Bellatrix." He said to please his aunt, not particularly wanting to be on this 'tour' in the first place. _

_She opened the door and ushered him in and down the stairs. "Every cell has one of our crests so that the prisoners always know who caught them." She cackled. "But there's a secret to the crest." _

_"A secret? What kind of secret?" Draco asked, taking a closer look at the crest._

_Now Bellatrix was whispering as if she didn't trust anyone who might be listening in. "Just in case the house is taken over, there's an escape route for anyone in our family. Hit the crest and it will recognize your blood. 3 stones will appear along the wall with a dragon, stars, and a snake. Hit those 3 stones and a secret passage will ensure your freedom."_

Draco's eyes widened as the full memory was fresh in his mind. "Stars, a snake and a dragon!" He whooped.

Hermione looked at him like he had finally lost his mind. "What are you talking about, Malfoy?"

"Quick, we need to find 3 stones along the wall: one with a snake, one with a dragon and one with stars. I need to push them in." He said quickly, as he ran to one of the walls.

"Draco, we've looked at the walls hundreds of times, there are no stones like that." Hermione said, crossing her arms in front of her.

"There are now." He answered smugly, pointing to a stone in the wall.

Hermione rushed over and saw that he was indeed pointing to a stone with a dragon on it. She gasped as she saw it and watched him hit with all his strength. The stone pushed in slightly and quickly she ran to the other wall to search for the others.

Draco whispered his memory to her as they searched the walls, looking for the other two stones.

"Here!" She said, pointing to a stone with stars on it.

Draco rushed over and hit the stone as hard he could. He felt it give a little and they continued to look for the last one.

He found it quickly on the wall and pushed it in with all his might. As soon as he felt it budge they heard a noise that sounded like a stone rubbing against another one.

Hermione gasped as she looked at the corner of the room and saw a hole in the ground with a stairwell leading down. Immediately, she started to run towards the hole.

"Granger!" Draco called. She turned around to see him holding her cloak. "You may want this." He said smirking.

She came back and snatched her cloak as she watched him put the 3 rolls into his cloak pocket. He handed her a cup of water which she drank in one gulp and set it back on the tray. He followed her lead and soon the two were ready for their escape. Quickly, they made their way to the stairs.

Draco glanced at the door satisfied no one was watching and then followed Hermione down the stairs. As soon as he went through, he heard the floor moving back into it place, covering their escape route.

Torches lined the tunnel which came to life as soon as the slab of stone was back into position. Draco took the lead as they followed the tunnel. After about an hour of walking, they saw light at the end. They both started to run until they reached the end and stepped out of a cave. Instantly, they were bathed in sunlight.

Hermione took a deep breath and enjoyed the fresh air. She put her head back and let the sunlight warm her. She looked over at Draco who seemed to be surveying their surroundings and gave him a brilliant smile. "We're free!"

Draco nodded. "Yes, we're free. But do you have any idea where we are?" He asked as he continued to look around.

In a moment of clarity, Hermione realized that they were standing in the middle of the woods, without wands, without maps, and with only 3 bread rolls. Her elation at being free was quickly replaced with the feeling of being lost.

* * *

**A/N: Hey all! Sorry this took so long to get up but I have been really busy as of late, not to mention I'm still trying to figure out where I want to go with this story. It's a lot harder than my last two, that's for sure! Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW and let me know what you think. I greatly appreciate it. ~Chrissy**


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione's heart sunk to her stomach as she realized their new situation. While she was grateful to no longer have the threat of torture looming over her head, the fear of starvation started to grow within her. "Do you think they realize we're gone?" Hermione asked, looking around at the endless mass of trees.

Draco shrugged. He continued to look out among the trees, willing his sense to pick up something. He heard the faint sound of water coming from his left and a small smile came to his face. "Perhaps. But they don't usually come to torture us until late afternoon, so I say we have a few more hours. We better start going." He said as he looked over at her.

She looked at him incredulously. "Going where? We don't even know which way to go!" She said as she tried to suppress a sense of panic.

"Well, seeing that we came out of the cave behind us, I say we don't want to go that way." He said motioning his head to the cave behind them. "I think I hear a river or something, so our best bet may be to follow that."

Hermione concentrated for a moment and then heard the sound of water. She recomposed herself from the momentary lapse of emotional panic and let out a sigh. "You're right, I hear water. It sounds like it's coming from that direction." She said pointing ahead and to the left.

Draco nodded and started to walk in that general direction. He was grateful she pulled herself together quickly. He heard Hermione's footsteps quickly catch up and match his so that she was walking beside him. He kept looking side to side; making sure no one was following them. They walked in silence, both concentrating on the sound of water.

Within an hour, they found the source of water. It was a small river, slightly larger than a stream. The water had a clear blue hue and the current was coursing down at a leisurely pace. The sun was directly overhead now and Draco bent over and splashed the cool water on his face. He sat besides the bank and let the sun warm him. The leaves were starting to change color, a sure sign that autumn was on its way. He took out one of the bread rolls and broke it in half, handing a piece to Hermione.

Hermione took the bread and attempted to eat it at a reasonable speed but the hunger pains ripped through her stomach the moment her tongue touched the bread. She practically inhaled the rest of it and she blushed a little when she noticed Draco looking at her. She shrugged her shoulders and looked at the water. "Do you think it's safe to drink?" She asked while kneeling next to it, dipping her hands into the river.

"I don't think we really have a choice." He answered, finishing up his piece of stale bread.

She cupped her hands into the cool water and brought it to her lips. She let the cool water go down her throat and she found herself going for another, the feeling of immense thirst washing over her. She drank until she was satisfied, something that hadn't happened since being captured. Finally she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and let out a content sigh. "How about you?" She asked, motioning towards the water.

"Nah, I'm alright for now. We had better get a move on." Draco answered as he brushed the crumbs off his hands. "We should follow the river, it's the best chance we have at finding other people."

"I agree. Maybe it will lead us to a reservoir or something." Hermione said as she got to her feet and stood up. She felt full for the first time in a while and she couldn't help but smile.

They started to walk, following the river, until the sun was starting to set. The trees were bathed in the golden rays of sunset and the air was already becoming cooler. Draco stopped and looked around. "We should try to find a place to spend the night."

Hermione nodded and started to walk around the big trees. It was rapidly becoming dark so she looked for any kind of possible shelter. The thought of sleeping on the forest floor with no covering wasn't exactly appealing. She came upon a very large tree and walked around it when she saw a decent sized crack in the trunk. She peered in to see that the trunk was actually hollow. "Malfoy! Over here!" She called out as she looked to see if anything else lived in the tree.

Draco walked over and saw what she was looking at. He squeezed through the crack and bent over slightly so he wouldn't hit his head. He looked around and saw that it was relatively empty and no other animal had seemed to claim it as a home. It would be a tight for the two of them, but if they squeezed he was sure they could make it work. "Come on in, Granger. This will do for tonight." He said as he spread some fallen leaves on the ground to make something suitable to sit on.

The sunlight was almost gone so he quickly sat down on top of the leaves with his back against the trunk and watched as Hermione slid through the crack. Having two people was quite crowded and it certainly wasn't large enough for the two of them to sit side by side. "It's going to be cold again tonight, so we ought to do something similar to last night." Draco said as he motioned to Hermione to sit between his legs.

Hermione's eyebrow lifted skeptically but she quickly found there would really be no other place for her to sit. She shrugged her shoulders as she took off her cloak and sat between Draco's legs, her back against his chest. It was surprisingly comfortable and she briefly wondered why they had never done it before.

Draco took her cloak from her hands and wrapped it over her while he scooted her a little farther back against him. Without any sunlight, it was quickly getting cold and already they could hear the night time animals starting to come out. He was thankful for the shelter they had since it would have been awful to be outside. He could already feel the warmth from her body and he wrapped his arms around her.

Hermione shivered as the temperature dropped. Without the sunlight, the temperature seemed to drop very quickly. She couldn't help but think about the fact that a week ago, she would've said she'd rather be dead than be sitting like this with Draco Malfoy. Obviously, her actual survival instinct outweighed petty school melodrama. She leaned her head back and found that her head fit underneath Draco's chin. She let out a sigh and she clearly saw her breath in the chilly air.

They sat in silence, listening to the animals starting to wake and forage for food. She found herself starting to think about what would happen if they didn't find a way out of the forest soon and decided she didn't like where her train of thought was going. Instead, she decided to try to keep her mind preoccupied with something else.

"Why did you become an auror?" Hermione asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

Draco sighed. He was about to retort with something sarcastic about how it was none of her business but decided that a little bit of conversation would be better than being with his own thoughts. "When I graduated from Hogwarts, I decided I wanted to be the exact opposite of what my father wanted. He had ruined all of our lives for so long and I wanted to try to right some of it. I was worried my mother would be disappointed, but with him gone, she was able to finally outwardly show how proud she was of me. I guess I wanted to see what it was like to fight for the right side, for once."

Hermione's eyes widened at the story. "So, you became an auror to spite your father?" She asked softly.

"At first, yes. I wanted to be nothing like him and becoming an auror practically guaranteed that. But I found that I liked my job and more importantly, was bloody brilliant at it." He said smirking.

Hermione chuckled at the arrogance in his voice. "Yes, I don't know what we would do without your _bloody brilliance_ as you so humbly put it." She said sarcastically.

"What about you? Didn't have enough during your search for horcruxes?" Draco asked, ignoring the jab.

"Well, actually, I had no desire to become an auror after Hogwarts." She answered sheepishly. "I had planned to become a healer."

"So, what happened?" Draco asked curiously.

"Well, Harry and Ron came to visit one day and practically begged me to join the aurors. They said that it wasn't the same without me and that they couldn't do it if I wasn't there." She sighed. "So, I relented and signed up for auror training."

"Well, that was bloody awful of them." Draco said after a moment.

Hermione instantly came to their defense. "It all worked out for the best, Malfoy. I'm good at what I do as well and they're my best friends."

Draco snorted. "Some best friends they are, _oh Granger, become an auror and drop everything you wanted to do so that you can help us_, what a wonderful bunch." Draco said sarcastically.

"They don't call me Granger." Hermione harrumphed, unable to find a better argument.

"Really Granger, who tells their supposed best friend to forget her dreams and do something else because _they_ can't get along without her? Pathetic." Draco answered, his dislike for Harry and Ron only growing.

Hermione's eyes narrowed. She felt her anger rising and her blood rushed to her cheeks. "They _are_ my best friends and I would do _anything_ to help them. That's what friends are for. You would know that if you had any." She spat.

"With friends likes those, who needs enemies? Hell Granger, I may not have that many friends but I wouldn't want friends like that, that's for bloody sure." He argued back, his eyes narrowing.

Hermione crossed her arms in front of her. "You became an auror to spite your father. Is that any better than what I did?" She asked, throwing their conversation back at him.

"Yes, Granger, it is better for you forget one important factor. I _chose_ my profession. Your so called _friends_ chose yours." He said bitingly.

Hermione stayed quiet for a moment, unable to rebuff his last statement. "Well, I'm happy." She said quietly, but whether she was convincing herself or Draco she wasn't sure.

"Oh yes, quite happy. You're hiding in a tree in the middle of Merlin knows where with someone you despise. If that's not happiness, I don't know what is." Draco said sarcastically.

"You're a prat." Hermione shot back, nothing else coming to her mind. She thought back to the day she let Ron and Harry talk her into becoming an auror.

"_But Hermione, we need you to be with us. We're just awful without you." Harry pleaded as they sat in The Three Broomsticks during a Hogsmeade weekend._

"_I don't know Harry, I think I may have had enough of hunting dark wizards." Hermione answered, looking down at her butterbeer._

"_But, 'Mione, we need you." Ron said, trying to convince her. "What else would you do?"_

"_Oh, well, you know, I've been thinking about that." She answered, looking up at the redhead who was begging her._

"_See! You don't even know! Don't you want to be with us, 'Mione? Then we'll always be together!" Ron argued. "I need you, 'Mione. Don't you need me?"_

"_Well, of course I do, Ron." She answered, looking back at her butterbeer. "It's just…"_

"_There, it's settled then!" Harry cut her off. "You join the aurors and we'll always be the 'golden trio.' Nothing will ever tear us apart!" _

_Hermione looked up at her two best friends' faces and felt her stomach drop. "Of course, I'll stay with you guys."_

"_Great! You can sign up to start right after graduation! I love you, 'Mione!" Ron said, ecstatic at the outcome._

"_I love you, too Ron. I love both of you." She said, forcing a smile on her face._

She didn't regret it, of course not; she was great at what she did. And the three of them continued to work together all the time. What more could she want but to see her best friends every day? But she had always wondered if she would have made a successful healer. She shook her head to clear that thought out. The what-if game was never a fun game to play.

"Is that the best – " Malfoy started to say when he suddenly fell quiet.

Hermione was about to retort when she felt his hand clamp over her mouth. She shook her head to try to remove his hand when she heard voices. She became still, straining her ears to hear what was being said.

"Where could those two have gone off to? We're in the middle of the woods!" A male voice said as the footsteps got closer.

"Lucius will have our heads if we don't find them." Another male voice answered.

Quickly, it sounded like they were right next to the tree they were hiding in. Both occupants stopped breathing, as they listened to the conversation.

"It's a shame he has us only looking for them at night. These errands during the day are killing me!" The first voice said.

"Well, we need to find those other death eaters in hiding if we want to be successful." The second voice answered. "If only we could have gotten that mudblood to spill what she knew. I think we were only a few days from breaking her."

"You don't think they found that small muggle village, do you? It's around here somewhere." The first voice asked.

"Nah, I doubt it. What are the chances that they would find it? Besides, I'm not mingling with muggles. Bugger that. Lucius can do it himself." The second voice said disgustedly.

The first voice chuckled. "Well, let's keep looking. They couldn't have gone far. They don't have their wands so it's not like they could have apparated anywhere." The first voice said as their footsteps became fainter and the voices disappeared.

The two stayed silent for a good 20 minutes afterwards, both scared to make a sound. Draco then leaned down to Hermione's ear so that she could feel his warm breath on it. "We need to find that muggle village tomorrow."

Hermione nodded still afraid to use her voice.

"Let's get some sleep. Obviously they won't be looking for us during the day; we should be safe for now." He whispered softly in her ear. He laid his head back against the trunk of the tree, thankful they had found this refuge. In the distance they heard the crack of apparition and they knew the two death eaters were gone.

Hermione finally relaxed some and rested her head against Draco's chest. She could faintly hear his heart beating and she let the sound lull her to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Well, I got this chapter out faster than I thought I would. :-) I like where this story is going...I hope you all do, too. I made this rated M mostly because I' wasn't completely sure what I was going to do with it. I'm going to bring it back down to a T because I don't think it'll need to be M anymore. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter. PLEASE REVIEW!!! ~Chrissy**


	6. Chapter 6

Draco awoke with hair in his mouth. He smacked his lips together in order to try to get it out when he realized the hair was long and brown. He then continued to realize that his cheek was leaning against the top of Hermione's head. His head snapped up and he leaned it against the tree bark, the events of the night before coming back to him slowly. Sunlight streamed in through the crack in the tree and he squinted as his face came into the sunlight. He considered the idea of falling back asleep when he realized that if it was daylight, they should be walking.

"Granger." He said to the sleeping girl in front of him. There was no movement and so he tried again. "Granger!" Again, the girl continued to snooze and he started to get uncomfortable. Finally, he took his hand and shoved it against her shoulder. "Granger!"

Hermione startled awake with the feeling of being pushed. Her eyes snapped open as she realized she was still flush against Draco. "What?" She hissed at her rude awakening.

"Get up, will you? Its morning and we need to get going. Besides, I really need to take a piss." He said, attempting to push her off of him.

"Alright, stop shoving. I won't be able to get up if you continue that." She snapped back, trying to get herself up on her feet. She eventually made her way out of the tree and stretched as Draco came stumbling out and went behind a large tree a little ways away.

Hermione looked up at the sky and yawned. It had actually been fairly warm in the tree. She wrapped her cloak around her shoulders as Draco showed back up.

"Do you need food or can we start moving?" He asked, stifling a yawn.

"We can go." She answered as she started to walk towards the river.

They followed the river for most of the day and only stopped to share a bread roll. Draco looked at Hermione and for the first time realized how thin she had become. Her face was drawn and her normally tan skin looked pale. The clothing she wore now hung from her body loosely.

"Why are you staring at me?" She asked self consciously.

"I'm not staring. I was merely noticing how awful you look." Draco answered snidely, slightly embarrassed at being caught.

Hermione glared at him. "Well, you don't look all that wonderful yourself." She shot back.

Draco stiffened. "I'm sure I look better than you." He answered. "After all, your hair looks rattier than normal and it's obviously filthy. Your skin is pale and you look like a common bum."

Hermione glared harder. "Whatever. Your hair is matted down and you're no longer a blond with all that dirt in your hair." She huffed. "Your normally pale skin has turned a sickly green and the circles under your eyes make you look like a raccoon."

Draco's eyes narrowed. "When I take a shower, at least I'll be attractive again. No amount of showering will ever make you attractive, Granger."

Hermione laughed aloud. "Attractiveness is not only skin deep, Malfoy. In fact -"

"Hello there!" A voice called out, cutting Hermione off.

Hermione and Draco stopped instantly, looking around and reaching for a wand that they did not have. Both of them spotted the man at the same time.

An older man, wearing a flannel shirt and carrying what looked like a large piece of a dead animal came walking over to them. He had brown hair with a slightly receding hairline and a thick bushy beard covered his face. "Are you two lost?" He asked as he approached them.

"He's a muggle." Hermione whispered under her breath.

Draco rolled his eyes at the obvious statement but nodded anyway. "Uh, yes, we are lost." He answered the man who came up to him.

"Well, I live in a small village not too far from here. I can take you back with me, if you'd like. You two must have been wandering around for a while, there's nothing near here." He said, looking at the dirty couple in front of him.

"That would be great." Hermione said smiling. "We've been lost for quite a while."

"Well, I just killed a deer today." He said as he patted the bloody piece of meat over his shoulder. "We'll have plenty of food for dinner."

Draco nearly started salivating at the idea of eating fresh meat. "That would be absolutely lovely, sir." He said, remembering his manners.

"Well, follow me then. It's only about a half an hour walk from here." He said as he started to walk into the trees. "I'm John, by the way."

"I'm Hermione and this here is Draco." Hermione answered, walking behind the man.

"Nice to meet the two of you. Don't meet too many people out this way. The village is small but we like it that way. We live off the land, no need for electricity, cars, or anything like that." John continued. "I only have one spare bedroom, however."

"Oh, that's fine. We can share a bedroom." Draco answered as they continued to follow him.

John turned around to look at the two and then seemed to nod to himself and continued going. "My wife makes a lovely venison stew." He added, a bit of pride in his voice.

"How far are we from London?" Hermione asked, curious to know how far out they were.

"London? Oh, well, I don't know, about 150 kilometers?" He answered after thinking for a moment.

Hermione's eyes widened. 150 kilmometers was a lot farther than she expected. She leaned over to Draco and whispered in his ear. "Harry wouldn't be looking anywhere near here."

Draco nodded, the same thought crossing his mind.

They continued on making chit chat for a little while longer before coming upon a small village. And it was indeed small. There were 5 log cabins in the small clearing, smoke coming from the chimneys. The sun was setting now and it was obvious the small village was self sufficient. There was a small farm off to the side and you could hear a dog barking from a house.

John led them to the second house on the right and stepped through the door way. "Mary, dear!" John called out as he entered the house. "We have guests!"

The house was fairly simple, a kitchen to the left, a dining room straight ahead and a living room with a fireplace to the right. Passed the living room was a hallway which led to the bedrooms.

"Guests?" An older woman walked out of the kitchen with an apron tied around her waist. Her long brown hair was pulled back and a gentle smile graced her face. "Oh, how nice! Will they be spending the night?"

"Yes, I found them wandering around the woods, lost as can be. I couldn't let them spend another night out there. This here is Draco and this is Hermione." John said, leaning over to place a kiss on his wife cheek.

She took the piece of meat he had been carrying and brought it to a counter. "Well, John, we only have one spare bedroom." Mary said, looking over her shoulder at her two guests.

"Oh, that's fine, love. They're married." John said easily, not noticing two sets of eyes that went wide at the last sentence.

Draco was about to deny that statement when Hermione spoke first. "Excuse me, but, why do you think we're married?" She asked timidly.

John looked at her with a confused look on his face. "Well, Draco said that there would be no problems with the two of you sharing a room. Why else would you be sharing a room if you're not married? Am I wrong? If I am, I'm sure I can get a neighbor to take one of you in."

Hermione realized the dangers of being split up and decided to go with the charade. "Oh, no, of course we're married. I was just wondering since we hadn't actually said anything."

Draco's eyes narrowed at the girl next to him. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what advantage there could be to saying that he was married to that muggleborn. He was about to speak up when he felt an elbow in his side.

"So, there's no need to split us up." Hermione finished and realization finally dawned upon Draco.

Draco nodded in concurrence as he realized that it was best to stay together in this situation.

John looked at the two critically and then nodded. "Oh, I see. You can say that I'm quite perceptive in that way." He answered, smiling at the two in front of them. "I'll show you to your room and then you two can clean up before supper."

They followed him down a short hallway and passed a couple of doors before opening one. "This is your bedroom. The loo is right next door." John said as stepped aside to let them through. "There are towels in the cabinet."

The bedroom was also very simple. There was a bed in the middle of the room with two bedside tables on either side and a window was on the left wall with a closet on the right one. Both the curtains and comforter were a dark blue color.

Mary then showed up in the door way holding a pile of clothes. "Here are some clean clothes. If you put yours outside your door, I'll be more than happy to clean them tomorrow morning." She said smiling.

"Thank you for your hospitality." Hermione said, returning the smile as she took the pile of clothing. "Malf...uh, Draco and I really appreciate it."

"It's not a problem, dear. We'll see you back in the dining room soon." She said as she closed the door.

Draco sat on top of the bed and ran his hand through his hair. "I think being tortured may be better than pretending to be married to you." He said while shaking his head.

Hermione glared at him. "Well, it's no picnic for me either but I thought it was safer than being split up. Besides, don't forget our vow to not leave each other." She said, reminding him of their partner vows.

"I know, I know. Just give me some clothes so I can take a shower." He said as he stood back up.

Hermione took the shirt and pants that were on top of the pile and threw it at him. "Hurry up; I want to take my shower sometime in the next decade."

"Whatever Granger, I'll take as long as I want." He answered back as he went towards the door.

"Try not to call me Granger in front of them." She said as his hand froze on the door knob.

"Bloody fantastic, first we're married and now I can't call you Granger? This just keeps getting better." He spat back as he turned the knob and left the room.

Hermione sat on the bed as the door clicked shut. She groaned to herself at the predicament she was in.

**********

Hermione and Draco made their way to the dining room, washed up and both feeling much better after their showers. They saw the older couple sitting at the table, bowls of steaming food in front of them. They blushed as they sat opposite the couple, seeing as they had held up dinner.

"This looks wonderful." Hermione said, the smell of the food making her salivate.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just some venison stew, a bit of rice and some vegetables." Mary said, smiling at the compliment.

The couple said grace, something that baffled Draco but saw Hermione bow her head so he followed suit. Mary then scooped out food, first to John, then to Draco, then to Hermione and finally herself. As soon as everyone had food on their plates, Hermione and Draco dug in heartily.

"You two were lost for quite a while, huh?" John chuckled as he saw how ravenous the two young adults were.

Hermione nodded. "A little more than a week." She said, between mouthfuls.

Mary gasped. "Over a week? You were out there all alone for over a week?" She asked with eyes wide. "John, the bad men…" She trailed off.

Immediately, Draco's head snapped up. "Bad men?" He asked.

John nodded. "The woods aren't safe at night. A few of the villagers have saw men in capes and masks in the woods. They…they killed one of the villagers with a stream of light! What kind of demons…" He trailed off in a low voice. He cleared his throat then and went on. "But that's enough of that, there's nothing you need to worry about here."

Hermione had looked up to hear the story and she looked at Draco whose mouth was set into a thin line. One of the death eaters had used magic in front of others without obliviating them.

"This is a really lovely meal." Hermione said, changing the subject.

Mary smiled at her. "Thank you, dear. There's plenty more, so eat up." She said, grateful for the subject change.

They ate until they were full and satisfied and agreed with their hosts that they should turn in early to get a good night's sleep.

"Have a good night, you two. We'll see you in the morning." John said, as they left for their room.

They entered the room and found pajamas that Mary had put into the pile of clothing. Draco went into the bathroom to get changed and Hermione changed in the bedroom. By the time Draco came back into the room, Hermione was already in bed.

Draco went around to the other side of the bed and slipped under the covers, relishing the feel of a bed. He quickly noticed that he hadn't even hesitated at getting into the same bed as Hermione but shrugged, thinking that a week in captivity would change anyone. He rolled to his side, his back to her and closed his eyes. "Good night, Granger."

Hermione turned off the light and stared up at the dark ceiling. She suddenly felt more comfortable with Draco next to her though she couldn't imagine why that would be. "Good night, Malfoy." She murmured as her eyes fluttered shut.

************

Draco awoke the next morning and yawned, feeling quite refreshed from sleeping in a proper bed. The sun was shining in through the window and he wondered how long they had been sleeping. He sat up in bed but when he looked over at Hermione, he gasped. Her face was ashen colored and beads of sweat were on her forehead. He timidly took his hand and put it against her forehead to find it quite warm. She groaned at the touch and her eyes opened slowly.

"Granger, are you alright?" Draco asked as he looked at her.

She looked as if she had a hard time focusing on him. "Malfoy?" She whispered. "I don't feel so well." She said as she quickly turned over and vomited off the side of the bed.

Draco looked disgusted but quickly got out of bed and left the bedroom. He ran into Mary in the kitchen. "Mary, Gra – err, Hermione is sick." He fumbled through his words.

Mary looked up with a look of surprise. "Oh. Let me check on her." She said as she rushed passed him and into the bedroom.

The room was already starting to smell like vomit and she took one look at Hermione and shook her head. She left the room as Draco was coming in and returned with two buckets and some rags. Quickly, she cleaned up the vomit from the hard wood floor, throwing the used rags into one bucket. She placed the other bucket next to the bed, in case Hermione needed it. She put her hand to Hermione's forehead and again Hermione groaned as she looked completely out of it.

"What's wrong with her?" Draco asked suddenly wishing for a healer.

Mary looked at Hermione again, checked her pulse took a clean rag and wiped her face. "She drank the river water, didn't she?" She asked as she turned to Draco.

"Yes, a couple of days ago." He answered; remembering her asking if the water was ok to drink.

"The river water has to be boiled before drinking. She's going to be very ill for the next few days. Normally, this is a nasty illness in its own right but the two of you have been malnourished for a while, so I'm not sure how her body is going to handle it." Mary said, a look of concern on her face.

"But she'll be alright, right?" Draco asked softly.

"We shall see, Draco. Unfortunately we don't have a doctor in our small village, so we're going to have to hope for the best." She answered solemnly. "Let her rest, that's all we can do."

Draco nodded as Mary walked out of the room. Draco sat on the edge of the bed looking at Hermione's face. Her eyes were still open though they looked glassy and again it looked like she had trouble focusing on Draco's face.

"What's wrong with me?" She asked quietly. Her eyes fluttering shut.

"You're just ill. You'll be fine in no time." Draco answered, hoping that he wasn't lying.

"Don't leave me." Hermione said as her eyes closed and her hand went on top of his thigh.

"I won't, Granger." He answered as his hand rested on top of hers.

* * *

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It's going to be a rough time for our couple. Lets see where this story takes us. :-) THANK YOU to all of my reviewers! You truly make writing this worth it. PLEASE continue to REVIEW. It means so much to me! ~Chrissy**


	7. Chapter 7

Draco sat in the chair Mary fetched for him, watching Hermione sleep, her face still ashen and her skin still burning up.

John walked into the room and put his hand on his shoulder. "You should eat some supper. You have been sitting here all day."

Draco looked up at the man and nodded. Reluctantly, he got up from his chair and was about to walk out the door when he heard a weak cough behind him. Immediately, he turned around he saw Hermione eyes start to open. Quickly, he went back to her side and sat in the chair.

As soon as she opened her eyes, she quickly moved to her side. Draco was ready for this and picked up the bucket as she emptied her stomach.

John sighed as he retrieved the bucket to empty it. "I'll be back with food for the both of you." He said as he left the room, knowing that Draco wouldn't leave while she was awake.

Hermione wiped her mouth with a napkin that was placed next to her bed. She laid back down and looked at Draco who seemed to be watching everything she did. She felt incredibly tired and was constantly freezing cold. Her stomach was definitely not agreeable, as well.

John walked in with a tray. There was some left over stew and rice in one bowl for Draco and another bowl of vegetable broth for Hermione. He placed it on the bedside table and looked at her. "How are you feeling?"

Hermione gave him a weak smile. "Not so good, honestly."

John nodded. "Well, try to eat some broth and get some sleep." He said encouragingly. "Mary swears that her soup cures everything."

Hermione nodded. "I'll try."

"Draco has been sitting here all day. That's a mighty devoted husband you've got." John said with a smile.

Hermione looked over at Draco with a look of unveiled surprise. Draco shrugged in response but she could see a tinge of pink to his cheeks.

"Well, I'll let you get your rest." John said, nodding at the couple and slipping out of the room.

"You've been here all day?" Hermione asked once the door shut.

"Yes, well, you told me not to leave." Draco answered, taking his bowl and starting to eat. "Try to have some soup." He said, changing the subject.

Hermione attempted to sit up but found it hard to find the energy to do so. She heard Draco sigh as he put down his bowl and took the pillow from behind her and propped her up against it. He then handed her the bowl of soup and sat back down in his seat.

She took a spoonful and swallowed it slowly. Her stomach gurgled at the feeling of food entering it but she knew she had to have some of it. She managed to get down half of the bowl and keep it down, at least temporarily. She attempted to put the bowl back on the table but Draco took it from her and placed it there himself.

"Don't work yourself too hard now, Granger." He said, as he helped her lay back down. "Try to get some rest now."

She tried to get comfortable under the covers but sleep didn't seem to want to come to her. Her stomach was protesting against the soup that was currently in it and she was shivering.

Draco saw her teeth start to chatter when he went to the closet to retrieve another blanket. He put it over her and watched her snuggle into it.

"Will you talk to me? It will help me sleep." She asked, as she pulled the covers up to her chin.

Draco sighed. He couldn't say no to her but at the same time, he had never cared for someone like this before. This was what house elves were for. "Well, what do you want me to talk about?" He asked exasperatedly.

"Oh, I don't know." She answered softly. She saw him roll his eyes and she knew she was asking a lot from him. "How about your childhood? What was it like?"

Draco stared at her in disbelief. "You want me to talk about my childhood? Why on earth would you want me to talk about that?" He asked, getting slightly defensive.

Hermione gave him a weak smile. "I don't know. It's something to talk about and I have no idea what your childhood was like."

"I'm not sure that's something I care to share with you, Granger." He answered, having no desire to open up about his childhood with her.

"Please?" She whimpered.

Draco sighed. Damn her and damn her illness. "Fine then, but you better be sound asleep by the time I'm done."

Hermione nodded slightly. "Thank you."

Draco rolled his eyes but racked his mind for some non-traumatizing childhood memories. "It really wasn't all that exciting. I'm an only child and I was spoiled like one. I got my first broom for my 5th birthday and since then I have been interested in quidditch. I always had lavish birthday parties and I got everything I wanted. I got my first potions kit when I was 8. I remember I blew up part of my room once and boy, Mother was mad." He chuckled as he remembered. He saw Hermione smile slightly and so he continued. "We used to vacation in France every summer. My mother had family there, usually my father would stay at home to do business but he'd try to make it out for a couple of weeks."

He saw her eyes drooping and he knew that he wouldn't have to say much more until she was fast asleep. "I always knew I would go to Hogwarts, just like I always knew I'd be sorted into Slytherin. I was so excited to finally get my own wand." He remembered the day at Ollivander's and waiting to find the wand meant for him. He must have tried 10 wands before he found his wand. He frowned when he thought about his wand. After the final battle, Harry had snapped it since it was too dangerous having bested the elder wand. He promptly got a replacement, but no wand was like that one.

"What was it like in Slytherin?" Hermione asked softly after Draco had stopped talking for a moment. She could feel sleep pulling at her but it was something she was always curious about.

Draco's eyes snapped back at her, having forgotten what he was doing. He saw her fighting to stay awake but he nodded. "How about I'll tell you about that later? Get some sleep for now." He answered, his eyes softening as she slightly nodded and finally gave into the sleep that was calling her.

He then changed out of his clothes and got into pajamas. He slipped into bed next to her after extinguishing the light and stared at the ceiling. Since when had he become so nice to her? He shook his head. It was just partial guilt from telling her that she could drink the water, he rationalized. He just wanted her to get better so that they could be on their way back to London.

He shivered slightly at the thought of the death eaters still looking for them. Yes, as soon as she was better, they would find a way back to London and go back to their own respective lives that didn't intertwine so much. It was just the constant protection that made them seem closer. Once they were home, she wouldn't matter so much, he convinced himself. Content with that plan, he promptly fell asleep.

*********

Draco was once again eating dinner next to Hermione while she sat up and drank some soup. While she was still pale and feverish, she seemed to lose some of the ashen color from before and was able to sit up on her own. She had been able to keep lunch down for a little while and he was hopeful that she was already on the road to recovery.

Once they had finished dinner, Hermione laid back down, somewhat confident that she would keep her dinner down. She definitely felt better than the day before, though that wasn't saying much. She found herself still fairly weak and cold but she felt like the worst could be over.

"So, will you tell me about Slytherin tonight?" She asked, pulling the covers up.

"Come now, Granger. Aren't we getting too old for bedtime stories?" Draco asked sarcastically. He knew that he would give in at the end but that didn't mean he had to like it.

"It will help me sleep." She argued, though she mostly wanted to hear how the other house lived. And if she had to guilt him into it by using her illness against him, so be it. _How almost Slytherin of me._ She thought humorously to herself.

Draco sighed. "This is the last one, then." He said, giving in to his sickly partner.

She nodded as she rolled over to her side to fully face him.

"Well, we lived in the dungeons as you well know. But despite the location, the common room was always warm and inviting. But perhaps it takes a Slytherin to think a dungeon is inviting." He added ruefully. "I imagine it was the same way with the Gryffindors, rooms for the boys and rooms for the girls. Though one of the first things we did was figure out how to get to the girls' rooms."

Hermione rolled her eyes in response but kept her mouth shut.

"We mostly sat around the fireplace talking about other houses and laughing at other people's expense. You always had to be careful what you said in the common room, anyone could overhear and use it against you later." He said, remembering back to different parts of his Hogwarts experience.

"Well, certainly you could talk to your friends in your own common room." She interjected, remembering all the different times Harry, Ron and her would sit there and talk.

"Friends, Granger? This was Slytherin. You don't have friends. You have allies." He stated as if it was obvious. "And allies are known to change, sometimes more frequently that you would like."

"But what about Zabini, Parkinson, Crabbe and Goyle? They were your friends, weren't they?" She asked, knowing that she was starting to tread into uncomfortable territory.

Draco scowled. "What friends desert you when you need them most, Granger? Sure, Blaise stuck around but the rest of them certainly didn't give me the time of day during our last year. I wasn't of use anymore, so I was no longer an ally. Open your eyes Granger, everything isn't rainbows and butterflies."

Hermione was taken aback but thought back to their last year. It was true that Draco had kept to himself most of the time but she assumed that was just the affect of the War. Perhaps she was naïve to think that everything was better for everyone after the War ended. She didn't say anything in response and he seemed to take that as her wanting him to continue.

"Life is Slytherin was always interesting, that's for sure. You had to always have something someone else wanted or needed and that was how you rose in the ranks. It was always about what you could do for other people and how they could help you. And in the end, it was always about how to get what you wanted, no matter what the cost. And that, Granger, is why there were no friends in Slytherin." He said with a finality that meant he was done talking about the school he was thankful to be out of.

Hermione stared at him for a moment and thought about how different her experience was. "Gryffindor was more like a family. We were loyal and we'd do anything to help another out even if we didn't particularly like that person." She said, thinking back at her days there. "Not to say there weren't any fights or we always got along but we all seemed to know the things that were truly important. I couldn't ever imagine not having Harry or Ron in my life. Hogwarts was some of the best years of my life." And it was true, because now, well, things weren't quite the same. Ron was always with Lavender and Harry was always busy at work. She found herself a lot more alone these days.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Well, forgive me if you don't see me at the 10 year reunion but I've quite had enough of that castle. There wasn't one person in the damn school that would go out of their way to protect me."

It slipped before Hermione even thought about it. "I'd protect you."

Draco's eyes snapped up and looked at hers in surprise. Hermione's eyes were wide as well, seemingly shocked at what she had said. Both were silent for a moment, grasping the notion that neither was as alone as they previously thought.

"I mean, I have to, since I'm your partner and all." She said as soon as her voice came back to her, cursing herself for saying such a thing.

Draco nodded quickly. "Of course, I vowed to protect you as well." He wasn't sure why he said that but he could see a sense of relief flash through her eyes. "Alright, story time is over. You need to get some sleep." He said, ending the awkward conversation. He got into bed next to her as she turned off the light and they both settled under the covers.

"Thank you." She said quietly, as she shut her eyes.

Draco grunted in response, closing his eyes as well.

"Good night, Draco." She whispered, her eyes widening slightly at the use of his first name but quickly shutting again as sleep started to take over.

Draco was caught off guard by the use of his name but couldn't help but smile slightly. "Good night…Hermione." He said as he heard her breathing become regular. Quickly, he followed suit and drifted off to sleep.

Draco awoke with his arm draped across her stomach, much to his own horror. Quickly, he removed his arm and sat up in bed, so quickly in fact, that he felt dizzy. After getting his bearings, he looked over at her and noticed that despite the pale look to her face, there was a tinge of pink to her cheeks.

Hermione awoke to all the jostling on the bed and it quickly made her feel sick to her stomach. She opened her eyes to see Draco watching her and then promptly leaned over and retched into the bucket. She sighed as she wiped her mouth with a napkin and wished that she had her wand to do a scourgify. She laid back down and sighed again.

Draco was just getting out of bed when there was a knock on the door and John came in. "Hope I didn't wake you two up." He said smiling and looking down at the bucket. He quickly grabbed it and looked over at Hermione. "You're looking better today. I'd say you'll be fully recovered in a day or two."

Hermione nodded. "Despite the evidence, I am feeling better today." She said as she sat up.

"Draco, do you think you could leave Hermione for a few hours? I'd like to cut down a tree for some wood not too far from here and I could really use your help." John said, looking at the blond boy.

Draco looked at Hermione who nodded her consent. "Sure, John. Give me a few minutes and I'll be right out."

John smiled. "Alright then. I'll be waiting in the kitchen." He said, leaving the room with the soiled bucket.

Draco grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathroom to change. When he came back, Hermione was propped up on a pillow and reading a book that Mary had brought her yesterday.

"You'll be okay, right?" Draco asked as he came to her bedside.

"Of course I will. You've been cooped up in here for the last few days. Some fresh air will do you good." She said as she smiled at him. It was the first real smile she had been able to muster since falling ill.

Draco nodded. "Very well. Mary's right down the hall if you need anything." He said, surprisingly reluctant to leave her side.

Hermione chuckled. "I know it's the longest we've been apart for the past few weeks but I'm sure I'll live without you for a few hours." She teased. She grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

Draco's eyebrows shot up with the contact but gave her a small smile. Without thinking, he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Hermione tensed at the contact but it was over before she knew it and she couldn't help but blush slightly. "You make it seem like you won't see me again." She said softly.

Draco straightened up, a horrified look on his face. "Sorry about that, Granger. What is it the muggles call it? Fever house? Whatever it is, it must be getting to me."

Hermione chuckled again. "It's called cabin fever. And you must be right. Go and help John."

Draco nodded and left the room.

**********

Draco and John were heading back towards the house, both carrying an armful of chopped wood. He had never done so much manual labor in his life but he had to admit, chopping wood with an ax was kind of fun. It was certainly a stress relief. They were chatting amicably as they came upon the village. John dropped his wood and Draco felt a chill run up his spine. He looked up at the house and floating above their roof was a hideous dark mark.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N: Hey all. Sorry this is taking such a long time for me to update, life has been fairly busy lately. I try to write parts here and there when I have time though. So, I hope you all like the way it's coming. PLEASE REVIEW. I really do enjoy the input. Happy reading! ~Chrissy**


	8. Chapter 8

Draco dropped the wood in his arms and ran towards the house. He could hear John right behind him as he ran through the already open door. He ran into the room and he heard John gasp and run towards Mary, who was lying face down on the ground. Draco quickly ran down the hallway and burst into Hermione's room, scanning it quickly. The lamp was broken on the floor and the blankets were thrown around. He called out her name as he frantically searched for her. After turning the entire room upside down, he left to find John.

Draco came into the kitchen to see John sitting on the floor, Mary's head in his lap. Tears were flowing down his face and Draco immediately knew that Mary was no longer with them. John looked up at Draco, his eyes asking the obvious question.

"They took her." Draco answered quietly as John nodded his head and bowed it, a sob wracking through his body.

"It was the bad men." John whispered, as he stroked his wife's hair. "There's no blood, no trauma, like they killed her without actually touching her."

Draco swallowed the lump in his throat as he walked over to John. "I'm so sorry." He said as he blinked back tears that threatened to escape. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

John looked up at Draco sympathetically. "It's not your fault, Draco." He said quietly. "You need to find Hermione. Ma - Mary would've wanted that."

Draco nodded solemnly. "I need to get to London."

"We have a horse. You can take her. It's the best I can do, I'm afraid." John said after thinking a moment.

Draco was torn between helping the man who had saved him in the woods and running off to find Hermione. He glanced at the door and then back down at the broken man in front of him.

"Go. She should already have a saddle on her. I'll…I'll take care of everything here." John said, making the decision for him. "Follow the road that runs through the village. It'll take you to a main road that will lead you to London. Make a right at the main road."

Draco nodded. "Thank you for everything." He said before he turned and left.

He saw the stable behind the house and immediately went to it. As promised a bay mare was waiting for him, tacked up and ready to go. Carefully, he went up to her, putting his hand out in front of him, to let her know that he wouldn't hurt her. The name plaque on top of her stall said "Thunder."

"Hello Thunder. John said I could borrow you and I really need to go as fast as we can. Will you help me?" He asked as he pet her on the nose.

Thunder put her head down, acquiescing to his question and gave a nay in response.

Draco patted her again before going over to the side and mounting her. They left the stable and he followed the road through the town. As soon as he got past the last the house, he squeezed the horse to have her move into a gallop, going as fast as she could.

After riding through the forest for what seemed like hours, but was likely only about half an hour, they came upon a paved main road as John promised. They went right, and continued at a gallop down the road. It was dusk already and he hadn't seen any cars. Draco wondered how long it would take them to get to London and worried it would take too long. In the middle of his thoughts, they came upon a small town off to the side of the road. Draco slowed Thunder to a walk and tried to recall if John had said anything about another town. He stopped by the closest building and dismounted while tying her up to a post and walked to the front door. It was a pub.

Draco walked in and realized why John hadn't said anything about it. It was very obviously a wizarding village. A feeling of relief washed over him as he realized that they must have a fireplace. He walked over to the bartender and got his attention. "Excuse me, do you have a floo I can use?"

The bartender looked at Draco wearily. He would have thought he was a muggle by his attire but realized he wouldn't have been able to find them if he was. He quirked his eyebrow. "Where's your wand, son?"

"I lost it. I need to get to London." Draco answered, letting out a sigh.

The bartender shrugged his shoulders. He nodded his head towards the back of the bar. "There's some floo powder on the mantle." He said gruffly.

Draco's heart jumped. "Thank you, sir. Oh, could you make sure that horse outside gets to her owner? He lives in that small muggle village not too far from here." He said quickly. The bartender nodded his head and Draco practically ran to the back of the bar. He saw the fireplace in the corner and as promised a bag of green floo powder sat waiting for him.

He grabbed a handful of the powder and threw it into the flames. "Ministry of Magic, Aurors Department." He yelled as green flames came up around him.

He stumbled out of the fireplace only to be greeted by a bunch of shocked faces.

"Malfoy?" Harry sputtered as he watched the blond boy gather his composure in front of him. "Where's Hermione?"

Draco stood up and saw Harry, Ron, Gawain, Katie and Justin looking at him. He must have interrupted a staff meeting. He blinked a couple of times; almost unbelieving that he was back at the department. He licked his dry lips and ran his hand through his hair. "She was taken."

At that, the entire room exploded with noise.

"You were supposed to protect her!" Ron yelled at him.

"You left her behind?!" Harry yelled simultaneously.

"How could you?!" Katie screamed, her voice rising above the rest.

Draco stood there dumbfounded. He had hurried his arse back here for this?

"Everyone be quiet!" Gawain ordered above the noise. "I think we should let Draco explain what has happened the last few weeks."

Everyone quieted down, eyes narrowed at the blond wizard before them. "Now, tell us what happened, Draco." Gawain said gently.

Draco started from the beginning. He explained being captured, the torture, who their captors were, the escape, the muggle village and the wizarding town he found. He watched as everyone's faces changed with each emotion: angry, guilty, horrified, shocked, hopeful, sad, and finally concerned.

"Sorry for yelling at you." Harry mumbled at the end of the story. "We have just been worried sick around here."

Draco nodded. "We need to get back to her. We need to rescue her." Draco said frantically, the concern inside him showing in his voice.

Harry and Ron looked at each other strangely but it was Gawain who answered. "Draco, we have been trying to find you since you were captured. Now that you're here, you can help us find the place and we'll rescue her. But you have obviously been through a lot and I think you should go back to your place, take a shower, get something to eat and then we can continue working."

Draco shook his head. "There's no time to waste." He answered.

Ron sighed. "Look Malfoy. You smell like a bloody horse. Do us all a favor and take a shower."

Draco glared at the red head but Harry cut in. "We won't work without you. We were about to break for dinner anyway. How about we all will meet back here in an hour?"

Draco's shoulders slumped. "Fine. I'll be back in an hour." He said accepting the orders grudgingly.

*******

Draco walked back through the floo freshly showered and dressed in a blue button up with slacks and his ministry robes. He had to admit, he did feel a bit better and the last hour had helped him calm down a bit. Everyone was already there and it looked as if they were all waiting for him.

"Am I late?" He asked as he sat down at a table.

"No Draco, you're not late. However, we just got this letter." Gawain said, as he passed Draco the piece of parchment.

_Auror Department,_

_As I am sure you are aware, we have Hermione Granger in our possession. I am also sure that my good for nothing son is already back with you and has informed you of how he was treated while he was with us. Let me be blunt and say that the mudblood's stay with us this time is taking a greater toll on her than the first time around. _

_You are no doubt attempting to plan a rescue mission which I can tell you now will do you no good. I will, however, offer you one chance to get her back. I will allow Harry Potter and my traitorous son, Draco Malfoy access to our location. I will not guarantee they will be unharmed nor will I guarantee their survival. If they can rescue the mudblood, so be it. However, if we kill them, we will send the mudblood back to you as a consolation prize. You may be asking why I would suggest this and the answer is simple. I get the chance at revenge on the two people I currently hate the most in this world._

_I will send a portkey with instructions in 24 hours. If they do not arrive according to the instructions, she will die. If you attempt your own fruitless rescue attempt, she will die. To be succinct, do anything other than what I direct and she will die._

_-LM_

Draco slammed the parchment back down on the table. "Son of a bitch!" He yelled as he shook his head.

Everyone watched him as he abruptly stood and started to pace the room.

Gawain cleared his throat. "As much as it pains me, I can't send the two of you into a certain death trap for a member of our team."

Draco stopped and stared at him incredulously but it was Harry's scream that broke the tension.

"Of course I'm going to go! I will not let Hermione die because I did nothing!" Harry yelled as he stood up.

"For once, Potter, I completely agree with you." Draco said determinately.

All eyes turned towards Draco, wide and surprised. "You're going to go?" Harry asked, shocked.

"Of course I'm going to bloody go! She _is_ my partner after all." Draco said as he crossed his arms. There was no way that he was leaving Hermione there to die. He felt that same feeling in his stomach that he did the day before.

Gawain looked at Draco intensely. "Draco, did something else happen with Hermione while you were with her?" He asked as he realized that there might be feelings that weren't there before.

"I told you everything." Draco said defensively. "And I am going to get her back no matter what." He said with finality.

Harry shook his head still not quite understanding the change of heart Draco seemed to have had. A month ago, he was pretty sure Draco would have left Hermione to die in a heartbeat and now here he was willing to put his own life on the line for her. Despite the lack of logic behind it all, he took it and ran. "There, it's decided. The letter demanded Malfoy and I and we both agree. "

"You understand it's a death trap. You two will be most likely be killed as soon as you get there." Gawain said cautiously. "I can't in good conscience let you two do this."

"Well, we can't in good conscience leave Hermione to die." Harry shot back.

"Potter's right. This doesn't have to be Ministry approved, but we're going to go." Draco said, slightly aghast for agreeing with Harry twice in 5 minutes.

Gawain rubbed his chin and shook his head. "Fine, you two are obviously determined to put your lives in danger. But we're going to do everything we can to make sure you come out here safely." He said conceding to their demands. "Draco, we're going to need everything you know about the layout of the house. Harry, we're going to need those coins for communication. And of course you'll have Ministry backing, that's not an option."

Draco and Harry nodded their heads in unison.

******

After 5 hours of planning, Gawain had sent everyone home for some rest. He said that having exhausted zombies would do no one any good so everyone agreed to meet in the morning.

Draco laid back in his bed and put his arms behind his head. He was back in his London flat and his house elf had left him some dreamless drought on his nightstand. He had taken a swig of it and was currently waiting for it to overtake him. He couldn't help but notice how empty his bed seemed without Hermione next to him and he felt a pang in his heart that felt something similar to missing her. He smiled ruefully. _I don't miss her; I'm just worried about her well being is all._ He rationalized to himself. He wondered if she was alright and how badly they were torturing her this time around. He hated the fact that he wasn't there to help her and that she was already weakened by her illness. _Merlin, I hope she had recovered enough to get through all this._ He thought to himself. He recalled the kiss on the forehead he gave her and blushed slightly at that memory.

He then thought about one of the last things she said: _You make it seem like you won't see me again._ What if she was right? His stomach clenched at the thought.

_I'll save you Hermione. I swear to Merlin I will._ Draco said as the potion took effect and he slid into a dreamless sleep.

**********

Hermione laid on a stone floor with a blanket she had taken with her covering her broken body. She slept curled up in a ball and shivered as a breeze went through the cell. She dreamt of being rescued and of returning to the person she had come to rely on. "Draco…" She whispered unconsciously into the cold air.

* * *

**A/N: Things are starting to get interesting. Stay tuned to see how Hermione is doing and what Harry and Draco is going to have to go through. Think they can get along long enough to rescue Hermione? ;-) I'm updating as fast I can! THANK YOU so much for all the reviews! PLEASE continue reviewing, it's such a motivator! :-) ~Chrissy**


	9. Chapter 9

Hermione's eyes opened slowly as she awoke on the hard ground. For a moment, she forgot where she was but the pain in her ribs served as a quick reminder. She slowly picked herself up off the ground and sat against the wall, her blanket tightly wrapped around her. For the first time in weeks, she was completely alone and it seeped into her bones as she felt herself missing a certain blonde. She shuddered as she remembered the day before.

_Hermione sat on her bed, reading the book Mary had left her. A smile crept onto her face as she remembered the gentle kiss Draco had placed on her forehead though she couldn't figure out what would cause him to do such a thing. _

_A scream rang out from the kitchen and Hermione sat straight up in bed. Before she could move, her door burst open and a man in death eater regalia entered her room and looked at her. Quickly, she scrambled from her bed and grabbed the closest thing to throw at him. She was stupified before she could throw the lamp and it fell from her hand to the ground. The man roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her from bed, a blanket hanging loosely from her. _

_He turned on the spot and apparated them both back to the dungeon of the house she was at earlier. Lucius was waiting for her._

_"Where's the boy?" He demanded._

_"He wasn't there, my Lord." The man answered as he threw Hermione at Lucius' feet._

_"I suppose this will have to do then. She was with the muggles?" Lucius asked disdainfully._

_"Yes, my Lord. But the man wasn't there, just the woman." The man answered again, his head bowed._

_"Very well." He said as he finally turned his eyes to Hermione. "Welcome back, mudblood." He sneered before hitting her with a cruciatus so strong she was instantly knocked out._

Hermione shifted slightly, trying to get more comfortable. Her ribs ached and she was certain a couple were broken. Her labored breathing was a testament to that. They had revived her after the initial cruciatus curse, only to beat her while she laid on the ground. When they finally left her, she could barely move and she only did so to pull her blanket over her. The injuries screamed but she found herself to weak to do anything and so fell into a fitful sleep for the rest of the night.

Now that she sat against the wall, she quietly healed her ribs and closed any open wounds. The pain kept her from concentrating on the spell but it helped a bit. She took a deep breath and while there was still a lot of discomfort, she could breathe easier. They hadn't even asked her anything last night, so their intent was only to hurt her.

The door opened and her head snapped up. She knew she was too weak to stand so she settled for glaring at the doorway.

Lucius swept through the doorway and made his way down the stairs until he was about a foot away from her. Behind him were the Carrows and they were barely suppressing their grin at seeing her state. "Good morning, mudblood. This is going to be quite the day for you." He drawled. "Either you die, or Potter and Draco die. It's going to be quite splendid, actually."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him but kept silent, not trusting herself to not say something that would get her crucio'd again. Then it clicked in her head. Her eyes went wide as she realized that Harry and Draco were being trapped.

Lucius laughed at the look on her face. "Oh, did I not tell you, mudblood? They're coming here, on my terms, in an attempt to save your pathetic life. They will die, you know."

"No!" Hermione yelled. "Kill me instead!"

Lucius laughed maliciously. "Oh no, my dear mudblood. If I kill them, you get to go home and live with the fact that your life cost their lives. I'm sure it will be pure agony." He said almost gleefully.

Hermione attempted to keep an unemotional mask on her face but she knew her eyes were betraying her. The thought of Harry and Draco both walking into a death trap tore at her heart.

"Well then, we must be prepared for your rescuers." He said facetiously. "I'm sure the first place they will look for you is the dungeons, so it is time to move you." He snapped his fingers and the Carrows stepped up. Alecto pulled her up roughly by the arm while Amycus jabbed a wand into her side. "Now come along." He said as he turned around and walked towards the door.

Pain shot through Hermione as the poorly healed bones and wounds protested against the movement. Alecto continued to pull her along roughly and she moved stiffly to keep up. Amycus kept the wand at her back, the tip burning through her shirt. They took her down the hall and up the stairs and she found herself in the foyer of what looked like a grand if uncared for house. They dragged her up another set of stairs and she watched as Lucius opened up one of the many doors of the hallway. They threw her into the room where she painfully landed on the floor.

She looked around and found herself in a bedroom. Dust covered everything and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lucius casting multiple spells. There was a large bed in the middle of the room and a dresser with a mirror to the side. A door to what she assumed would be a closet was on the far end and a window was across the room.

"Enjoy the room, mudblood. It's certainly nicer than the dungeons." He snarled as he looked down his nose at her. "I have charmed everything to make sure you stay in here. The window is charmed so that no one can see you but you can see out, in case you want to watch your rescuers fall into my traps. Everything is locked and if you do _anything_ I will know."

Lucius stepped towards the door. "Oh right, silencio!" He said. "Enjoy the show, mudblood." With that, he left the room and she heard the locking spells from behind the door.

She sat down on the bed, facing the window and dust came up off the comforter. She put her head in her hands and stifled a sob. She would never forgive herself if Harry and Draco died tonight. They were two of the most important people in her life, right now. She stopped for a moment. Draco was an important person in her life? She thought about it and rationalized that as her partner, of course he'd be important. She ignored the pull on her heart that told her it might be more than that and stared out the window waiting for them to arrive.

**********

Harry and Ron stared at Draco as they sat in the auror's conference room waiting for the next owl from Lucius. Everyone else was in the room as well, all waiting anxiously for the correspondance. Draco had taken to playing with his new wand, twirling it in his hand.

"Why are you doing this, Malfoy?" Ron asked suddenly, no longer able to contain the question.

Draco's hand tightened around his wand as he faced him. "Why does it matter what my motives are, Weasel? I'm going to do it and that all that should matter to you."

Harry spoke up instead. "How do we know you haven't joined them? How do we know we can trust you?" He argued, crossing his arms in front of him.

Draco turned and narrowed his eyes at him. "I have never betrayed this department and I would never betray my partner. Remember that vow we all took? Don't you think killing her would be breaking it?" He spat.

Harry was taken aback for a moment. In fact, he had forgotten about the partners vow. Draco wouldn't be able to do anything that put her in danger. His eyes softened with guilt. "Right. I suppose that's true, Malfoy. I still don't understand why you would do this, though."

"You don't have to understand, Potter." He sneered. He always knew it would be hard to convince people that he had turned away from the dark side, but it had been five years already! He took a deep breath to calm himself down before he returned to twirling his wand around his knuckles.

A tapping sound focused everyone's attention to the regal looking gray owl on the window sill. Gawain opened the window and the owl dropped a parcel on the table before flying away quickly. Everyone quickly got up and surrounded the table.

Gawain quickly unwrapped the parcel. Inside were a letter and a red stained scrap of material.

Draco's eyes widened as he saw the material. "That's the blanket." He said softly.

"What was that Draco?" Gawain asked as he saw Draco stare at the material.

"That's part of one of the blankets at the house we were staying at. Her-" Draco paused for a moment before continuing. "Granger must have taken the blanket with her when she was taken." Draco said as he looked at the piece of cloth without touching it. "That's blood." He said, pointing at the stain.

"What?! Blood?!" Harry exclaimed as he went to reach for the scarp.

Quickly, Gawain grabbed Harry's hand, stopping him. "Harry! Protocol! We don't know what that is! We need to read the letter." He admonished.

Harry quickly dropped his hand and mumbled an apology.

Gawain nodded and opened the letter and read it aloud.

_Auror Department,_

_The piece of material is a portkey, set to go off at 7:00pm. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy will be brought to the property that we are occupying. I will guarantee their safety into the house and that is all. If anyone but the aforementioned arrives, they will be killed instantly and so will the mudblood. I am looking forward to greeting my visitors._

_LM_

Gawain looked at the clock. "We have half an hour. For the last time, are you two sure you want to do this?" He asked as he scrutinized the two wizards in front of him.

Both of them nodded their head in unison and Gawain let out a sigh. "Very well, then." He put on the table two galleons and pushed them towards them. "Harry, you already know how this works. Draco, these coins allow us to communicate with you. You can send short messages and the coin will warm up when a message is being sent or received." Draco quirked an eyebrow but didn't say anything as he put it in his pocket. "We have already gone over the map of the house and I hope that you both have memorized it in detail. Start at the dungeons as Draco said that was where they were previously held. However, don't be terribly surprised if you don't find her there."

The both nodded again. "If we get separated, whoever finds her, apparates her out of there, agreed?" Harry said, looking at Draco.

"Agreed." Draco said without hesitation.

"Try not to get separated, though." Gawain interjected. "And you both must agree that if it seems that there is no way to get her, you must come back."

Both wizards looked at him not wanting to agree to that. Gawain looked at them sternly and they hesitantly nodded their heads.

Draco looked up at the clock and saw they had 5 minutes until the portkey activated. He went over to the blanket piece and picked it up, knowing that it was safe. Harry came up behind him and waved his wand over it. A ribbon of red came out of the red stain and spelled out the name _Hermione Granger_ into the air before disappearing. Draco winced; unsure he wanted to know that bit of information.

Harry stared at the now red vapor and his hand clenched into fists. He took a deep breath and tried to not let emotions cloud his judgment. "We need to save her." He whispered.

Gawain then cleared his throat. "Promise me you two will work together. Do not be stupid." He looked directly at Harry.

Harry looked away but Draco spoke up. "We will. We both want to get out of there alive and with Granger."

Harry's head snapped up and he looked at Draco again. His face was set into a determined grimace and Harry nodded.

Harry reached out to the scrap piece and held on to a corner. He saw that he had less than a minute left.

"Good luck you two. Don't forget your training. And make sure the three of you come back alive." Gawain said.

"Bring her back, Harry." Ron said solemnly.

Harry nodded as Katie and Justin whispered good luck to the both of them.

With a sudden pull at their bellybuttons, Harry and Draco found themselves hurtling through space and landing on fallen leaves. Quickly, both of them put their auror training to use and were back to back, wands drawn. Their eyes darted around and when nothing happened after a minute both lowered their wands. It was obvious Lucius meant it when he said they would have safe passage to the house.

They were right outside a large gate with a path that led up to a large mansion. The front door was wide open, obviously awaiting their arrival. Draco started towards the gate when Harry put a hand on his arm.

"Malfoy, I need to know, why are you doing this?" Harry insisted once again.

Draco merely sighed. "This is not the place or time, Potter."

"Malfoy, I'm about to risk my life and attempt to trust you. But I need to know why you're doing this. Why do you care whether Hermione lives or dies? I don't believe it's just the partner vows." Harry said again, slowly and deliberately.

Draco turned and faced him. "You know Potter, as sick as it may sound, being tortured with someone is something of a bonding experience. I don't know exactly why I feel the need to save her, but I do. And I imagine it has something to do with the weeks we had no one else to rely on but each other." He answered honestly. It seemed that the possibility that this was his last hour gave him the strength to at least be somewhat honest.

Harry looked at him again, unsure what to make of his answer. After a moment, he nodded his head, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "Okay, I suppose that will have to do. Let's save her, Malfoy." He said, more confident in Draco's intentions.

Draco gave a curt nod and they continued towards the gate.

Hermione watched the two enter through the gate and she felt the need to scream and tell them to turn back and forget about her. She banged against the window but she knew they wouldn't be able to tell she was there. They had apparently come to some sort of agreement and she watched as they moved towards the house without hesitation. Tears started to trickle down her cheeks as she watched them walk up the path. The thought of Harry dying cut through her painfully. And surprisingly, the thought of Draco dying felt even worse.

* * *

**A/N: Hey all! I'm really trying to make sure I update at least once a week. Next chapter we start the attempt to rescue Hermione. :-) I hope you are all enjoying the story as I'm really trying to keep everyone in character. This story is definitely very different from my last one. THANK YOU for all the reviews! They really do mean so very much. PLEASE continue to review!! Until next time. ~Chrissy**


	10. Chapter 10

Harry and Draco paused at the door before going in. Harry gave a slight nod before quickly going through the door and pressing his back against the wall. Draco came in right after him, pointing his wand in all directions. When nothing happened, they both looked at each other, slightly confused by the lack of attack.

Draco took the lead and they slowly crept into the large foyer, walking with their backs to each other. It was quiet and the place looked deserted. Draco cocked his head towards a door off to the right and they both went towards it. Draco grabbed on to the handle as Harry went to the right side of the door. When Draco yanked open the door and side stepped with it, a death eater was standing there waiting.

"Impedimenta!" The cloaked death eater yelled, as soon as the door opened. However, no one was is in the path of the spell.

"Stupefy!" Harry yelled as death eater froze and fell backwards down the stairs. No one stood behind him.

"That's it?" Harry said, as he looked down the empty stairway, the death eater's motionless body sprawled at the bottom of the stairs.

"I wouldn't count on it. And now they all know where we are." Draco said as he stood next to Harry.

A crash behind them made them jump and they spun around to see what had happened. Behind them was a broken crystal vase on the floor but no one was around them. Confused they both turned back around and looked down the stairway. At the same time, they noticed the stupified body was no longer there.

"Seems they're waiting for us." Draco said, nodding his heads towards the stairs.

Harry nodded as he started to walk down the stairs slowly, each stair creaking under his weight. Draco came up close behind him, his wand hovering over Harry's shoulder. As soon as they got to the bottom of the stairs, spells were shouted in their direction.

"Protego!" Harry and Draco both yelled as it protected them from the green and red beams of light that came at them.

There were three death eaters in front of them, all wearing scowls that their first assault hadn't worked. Quickly, Harry dispatched a stupefy that hit the same person who had fallen down the stairs. Draco threw up another shield charm as Harry kept with the offensive. Soon, all three death eaters were on the floor and unmoving.

Draco quickly took their wands while Harry took off their masks. Draco snapped two of the wands and put the third in his pocket. He looked down at the three death eaters, now without their masks. He recognized all of them.

"Nott, Goyle and Crabbe. Somehow, I'm not surprised." Draco muttered looking at his former classmates' fathers.

"Do you have the portkey?" Draco asked as Harry nodded.

Harry removed a book from his pocket and placed it on the ground. He took a hand of each death eater and placed it on top of the book. He enabled the portkey and watched them get sent to a cozy jail cell where the head auror was waiting for them.

Harry looked around. "Well, quickly, let's check the cells." He said running towards the barred doors.

The two of them searched each door and found no one. "Well, we need to move on upstairs." Draco said as he headed back to the staircase.

Draco paused for a moment when he noticed the door on top of the stairs was shut. "Did you close the door?" He asked knowing the answer already.

"No. Did you?" Harry asked.

Draco shook his head. "We better be careful. I'll take the front this time." He said as he started to walk up the stairs carefully.

Harry followed closely behind him as they came to the closed door. Draco threw the door open and Harry threw up a shield but to their surprise, nothing happened. They looked around and saw that the broken vase was gone but there was no one in the vicinity. The silence was unnerving. As they went through the foyer to get to the stairs they heard a spell shot from above. Draco looked up to see a spell fly through the air and hit the cable the chandelier was attached to. Without thinking, he jumped in Harry's direction, pushing both of them out of the way as the chandelier fell behind them, glass shards flying everywhere.

Harry's eyes went wide as he heard the crash behind him. He picked himself off the ground and held out a hand to Draco. "Uh, thanks Malfoy." He said as he helped him up.

"Yea, let's just go." Draco answered, as he shook glass off of himself.

They both went around the fallen chandelier and went up the stairs carefully, aware that there were people waiting for them.

They made it up to the platform and looked down the hall when they heard the yell.

"Petrificus Totalus!" A death eater yelled from behind them.

"Protego!" Harry yelled as the green light dissipated into the shield.

Another death eater showed up from the other side of the hall. As the four of them dueled, no one saw a death eater sneak into a room behind them.

********

Hermione shuddered at the sound of the spells being yelled outside of her doorway. She sat on the bed, relieved to know they were still alive but nervous as hell at the idea of them not staying that way. She found herself thinking of Draco, and knotting the blanket between her hands at the worry she had for him. Suddenly, the door opened and a death eater snuck into the room then quickly closed the door behind him.

"Are you enjoying the battle raging right outside your door?" The death eater taunted her as a feral grin came upon his face.

Her face turned red with anger as she rushed towards him, trying to get a hold of his wand.

"Tsk tsk tsk, there will be none of that." He said, as he easily grabbed her wrists and threw her to the floor.

"DRACO! HARRY!" She yelled from the top of her lungs, hoping that she might be able to get their attention.

The death eater laughed. "Forgot about the silencing charm already, have we?" He said as he got closer to her. "You seem fond of the young and foolish Malfoy."

She glared at him. "Certainly, he's better than you." She spat.

The death eater glared at her. "I would watch my tongue if I were you." He warned darkly.

Hermione got up and backed up towards the dresser, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. As her back bumped against the dresser she heard the sound of a scream rip through the air. She knew instantly it was Draco's. She became rigid and the color drained out of her face as the death eater turned towards the door.

"Oh, I do hope that was the end of him. It would be lovely, don't you think?" He said with a saccharine sweet voice as he glanced back at her.

Hermione balled her hands into her fists. "You're an evil man and Draco is worth more than thousands of you. He will always be a better man than you and even if that is his last breath, he will still have more respect dead than you ever will alive!" She screamed out.

The death eater narrowed his eyes at her. "You stupid girl. I don't care if we said we'd keep you alive. Diffindo!" He called out, pointing his wand at Hermione.

She jumped out of the way as she heard the curse hit the mirror and explode into pieces. She quickly lunged at his knees and his knees buckled as he fell to the floor. She got to her feet quickly but not before he threw another spell at her. She quickly jumped away as the spell hit the door. The spells Lucius had put on it obviously worked in keeping the door together but a loud creak could be heard as the wood bent. Her eyes widened as she felt the magic that was on the door giving into the spell the death eater had shot at it. She could feel the magic disappearing and she quickly tried for the door but saw that it was locked the muggle way as well. She heard a loud pop as she looked around and saw that the death eater had apparated away while she was distracted.

She slid down the door and frustration overwhelmed her. "YOU BASTARD!" She yelled with all her might.

**********

Draco continued to fight, while he held his arm which had been cut with a spell that he had almost not deflected in time. He heard the loud creak of a door and his attention was diverted to behind him for a moment, wondering if he was going to be attacked from behind. Unfortunately, it was the wrong second to be distracted. A well placed stupefy had him frozen and falling over.

Harry had tried to ignore the sound of the creaking in order to keep his attention on the battle. However, Draco happened to fall in such a way that he hit his wand hand and before he knew it, his wand had gone out of his hand and on to the ground. Once he was disarmed, the death eaters quickly stupefied him and he too was on the ground next to Draco.

Draco cursed to himself as he saw what happened. What was the chance of falling _towards_ Harry? His body ran cold when he saw the death eaters take off their masks in joy.

The Carrow siblings rejoiced and quickly called Lucius to the scene. Lucius apparated to the spot straight away and looked down at the boys, a smirk on his face.

"And here I thought you were going to at least get down the hallway to where I was. Obviously, I overestimated the two of you." He shook his head in mock disappointment. "Very well then, let's take them to the dungeon."

The Carrows levitated the two of them down the stairs and to the dungeons with Lucius following. When they got down to the dungeons he looked around, obviously looking for something.

"Where did Nott, Crabbe and Goyle go?" He asked, knowing that their stations had been down here.

"We don't know, my Lord." Alecto said, looking around in surprise as well.

"Well well well, what did you two do with them?" He asked, looking at his new prisoners. "Pat down their robes."

Amycus grinned as she went over to them. She pulled out Draco's wand which was still in his hand. She put her hands all over him and he felt a wave of nausea go through him. She pulled out his galleon and looked it over before throwing it on the floor. She pulled out the wand he stashed in his pocket and threw both wands to the floor as well. She quickly moved over to Harry where she pulled out another small book but couldn't find anything else. She started to search frantically until Alecto put his arm on her arm.

"He must have lost his wand when Draco fell on him." He chuckled remembering their easy capture.

Amycus nodded and stepped away. "That's everything."

Lucius picked up the book only to find it blank. "Now, what to do with the two of you?" He asked in a bored tone as if he had forever to come up with the answer. "Do I kill you straight off? Do I torture you first? Decision, decisions."

The Carrow siblings laughed as Lucius continued to ponder the questions. "Any last words?" He asked as he relieved them from their stupefy charms.

Harry glared at him as he rolled his shoulders after being frozen. "Killing us won't help you succeed. You'll still be caught and thrown into Azkaban."

Lucius clucked his tongue. "Perhaps, but I'll be much happier knowing that you're no longer alive." He said condescendingly. The Carrows had their wands pointed at the now unfrozen duo. The final death eater came up next to them, his wand pointed at the prisoners.

"You'll be happy to know the mudblood is still safe and sound in her room. However, we can't guarantee for how long." He cackled, throwing off his mask.

"Rodolphus LeStrange." Draco spat. "I should have known."

"Of course you should have, dear nephew. I have to say, I think the mudblood is quite smitten with you." He mocked. "Too bad she's a mudblood, I might've had a go at her myself."

Draco lunged at him. "Don't you dare touch her!" He yelled.

Rodolphus laughed as he threw a spell at him. Instantly, Draco was thrown against a wall and the wind was knocked out of him. "Don't tell me the feelings are reciprocated?! Oh, what joy it will be to tell her that right after I tell her you're dead!" He said gleefully.

Lucius growled. "A mudblood, Draco? Not only do you betray your family name but you fall for a _mudblood_?! You disgust me!" He yelled, throwing the cruciatus curse as him.

Draco writhed on the floor. And finally, when he stopped, he breathed heavily on all fours. "Wouldn't you be happy that it's all your fault, _Lucius_." He spat.

Lucius' eyes widened like he was slapped in the face. "None of this is my fault! I tried to make you respectable!" He yelled back.

Draco got up on two feet as a smirk graced his faced. "It's _all_ your fault. If you hadn't disregarded Mother, if you hadn't invited _Voldemort_ into our lives, I might've continued to believe your pureblood bullshit. If you hadn't captured me and left me in a cell with Hermione, I might not have fell, as you put it, for a muggleborn. But no, _father_, you made exactly who I am today. And even if you kill me now, I hope you live with that for the rest of your life." Draco said calmly and seriously. He lifted his chin and for the first time in his life, he looked down his nose at his father.

Lucius turned bright red. "That's it, this ends now." He raised his wand at Draco. "Avada Kedavra!"

* * *

**A/N: WOW! Over 100 reviews! You all ROCK! Thank you especially to those who review after every chapter and encourage me along. You know who you are. I'm still doing my best on this story but I have to admit, I've had another story pop into my head, a 7th year Hogwarts story for our dear Draco and Hermione. However, I think I'm going to finish this one before I start another so I don't fall behind. I hope you're enjoying the ride! PLEASE continue to REVIEW! Thanks!! ~Chrissy**


	11. Chapter 11

In that moment, Draco closed his eyes and all he could see was Hermione's face. A slight smile fluttered across his face when suddenly he was knocked hard to the side.

The death eaters' eyes went wide as they saw Harry push Draco out of the way while the green light flew over their heads. They were about to retaliate when something else drew their attention.

"Stupefy!" A voice from behind them called out. Quickly they turned to see Lucius fall to the floor.

"That was quite the noble yet foolish act, mudblood." Rodolphus spat as he turned his wand at her. The other followed, walking slowly towards the girl.

Harry then scrambled for the wands that Amycus had thrown to the floor and threw one back to Draco who realized what happened. The scrambling from behind them distracted them as the look to see Draco and Harry armed.

"Stupefy!" Hermione yelled as their heads were turned but Rodolphus sidestepped it.

"Stupefy!" Harry and Draco yelled at the Carrow siblings, one hitting its mark as Alecto fell over.

"Impedimenta!" Rodolphus yelled sending a red light hurling towards Draco.

Unable to move fast enough due to the crucio earlier, it hit Draco straight in the chest and threw him into a wall. He slid down the wall where he crumpled into an unconscious heap.

"Draco!" Hermione yelled as Harry threw another spell at Amycus. She was hit straight on and fell over next to her brother.

Hermione saw the blood slowly pooling around Draco and knew she had to act fast. Her breathing quickened as she pointed her wand at Roodolphus' back. He had just thrown a spell at Harry so this was her best chance. "Stupefy!" Hermione yelled, hitting Rodolphus square in the back.

He fell forward with a surprised look on his face as Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She looked around to see four death eaters laying frozen on the floor. She watched Harry walk over to each one and take their wands unable to believe what had just happened. Harry nodded his head towards Draco which snapped her out of it and her eyes fell on the blond against the wall.

She ran over to Draco and saw that the bleeding was coming from his head. He must have hit it hard against the wall. A couple of ribs seemed to be broken and his rasping breathingsuggested that he may have punctured a lung. She looked over the rest of his body but that seemed to be the worst of it.

Hermione felt a hand on her shoulder and she jumped slightly. "Take him to St. Mungo's. I'll clean up here." Harry said reassuringly, his emerald green eyes softly looking at her.

She nodded and gingerly grabbed his arm, not wanting to move him more than necessary. "Thank you Harry." She said quietly.

Harry smiled sheepishly. "I will always do anything for you, Hermione. " He answered honestly, giving her a quick hug. "I will always come for you."

Hermione smiled back and then apparated herself and Draco to St. Mungo's. "Help!" She yelled as she appeared in the front entrance of the hospital. Draco was still unconscious next to her and she let go of his hand to seek help.

"Help! Auror down!" She yelled and suddenly three healers were running towards her.

The first healer that reached them came up to her. She was tall with chestnut hair and dark blue healer robes. She had a kind smile on her face and a clipboard in her hand. "I am Healer Henrietta Hartley. What happened?" She said as the other two healers ran to Draco.

"I am Auror Hermione Granger and that is Auror Draco Malfoy. We just came back from a mission against death eaters. As you see, he needs help." Hermione said quickly only remembering protocol to list names and rank at the last moment.

The healer nodded her head as the two other healers stabilized him and then levitated him down the hall. "Is he any relation to you?" She asked as she was taking down information on her clipboard.

"He's uh, he's my partner." Hermione stuttered. The healer gave her a strange look when she clarified. "My auror partner."

The healer nodded again and wrote everything down. "Ok, Auror Granger…" Her words suddenly stopped when she took a good look at the witch in front of her for the first time. She saw dried blood stains on the front of her shirt and bruises all over her arms. She looked a wreck and it made her wonder why she didn't notice it in the first place. "Um, Auror, are _you _alright?"

Hermione looked at her strangely as she recalled she must look a fright. She looked down at her bloody and torn shirt. "Well, I had a couple of broken ribs I think, but I tried to heal them. And I tried to heal most of my open wounds but you know, wandless magic is hard when you're in pain." She said quietly as she started to finally clam down from all that had happened. The adrenaline was now wearing off and all the pain from the last few days started to catch up with her. Each broken bone and bruise in her body started to cry out for attention.

"You healed yourself with wandless magic?!" The healer gasped. She gingerly lifted Hermione's shirt to see her abdominal area and quickly put it down when she saw the gigantic bruising. "Auror, I'm afraid you need to be checked in as well." Hermione's head started to spin and the healer watched her as she started to sway slightly.

Hermione nodded as the pain came back in full force. "Can you put me in his room, please?" She said as she doubled over in pain. Her arms wrapping around her torso and the healer put her arms around the falling woman.

"Of course, Auror Granger." The healer said as Hermione blacked out from pain and exhaustion.

***************

"Hermione? Can you hear me, Hermione?" A voice called out to her as she felt consciousness slowly returning. She opened her eyes to see Harry peering down at her, a large smile on his face. "You're awake!" He exclaimed as he watched her eyes flutter open.

Hermione smiled slightly as her eyes adjusted to the room. She recalled that she was still in St. Mungo's. "How long have I been out?" Her voice was hoarse.

Harry handed her a glass of water and she took a large gulp. He took it from her and put it back on her bedside table. "Two days. They healed your ribs completely, though they did say you did a mighty fine job for only having wandless magic." He answered with pride in his voice. "Most of your bruising is under control. Apparently you have fairly nasty scars along your abdomen that they were able to make less noticeable." He raised his eyebrow at that. "They said you would be out for a while as you seemed to be sleep deprived and exhausted."

"What about Draco?" She asked as Harry tried to suppress a look of surprise at the use of his given name.

"He's right here. I'm afraid he hasn't woken up as of yet. They said he had a few broken ribs but it was the blow to the head that is worrying them. He must have hit it hard when he hit the wall. They said they took care of the brain swelling and now it's up to him. His mother has been here quite a bit but she went home for some rest." Harry said, nodding his head behind him. "They said you requested to be put in the same room."

Hermione blushed slightly. "Yes, well, you see." She thought about the easiest way to put what she was thinking. "Being tortured with someone changes a lot of things." She finally settled on as her response.

Harry smiled. "Funny, he said something very similar." Harry said as he stood up. "I promised I would report to Gawain as soon as you woke up. When you're feeling up to it, I'd really like to know how you got out. And…" He said as he picked up the wand next to her bedside table. "…how you got my wand."

Hermione smiled. "Somehow, I'm fairly certain, it's a story that I'll be telling more than once. I'm going to need a new wand, though. I think they destroyed mine." A tinge of sadness crept in her voice for her lost wand. It was almost like losing a friend.

Harry nodded. "Well, get some rest. I'll be back right after my shift is over. I promise." He leaned over and gave her a kiss on top of her head.

"Thanks Harry." She said as he walked out the door.

She looked over at her current roommate and saw the outline of his body on the bed. She slowly sat up and steadied herself from the dizziness that accompanied sitting up for the first time in a while. She swung her legs over and stood up carefully. She swayed a little and used the bed to help her but after a moment she walked over to the other bed.

He looked clean and his platinum blond hair spread out underneath his head. His face was relaxed and he looked like he was peacefully sleeping. They had cleaned him up well and most of the bruises were faded on his pale skin. She saw his arm that had been burned and winced at the memory. Her hand reached out and softly grazed the scar. She took the chair that Harry was sitting on and slide to his bedside, holding his limp hand in the process. She sat down and stared at him for a moment longer.

"Hey Draco." She started softly. "It looks like it's my turn to tell a story." She smiled at the memories of him telling her about his life while she was sick. "I'm going to tell you the story about how I escaped and showed up just in time."

_Hermione sat on the floor by the door when she heard the whoop of a Carrow sibling. Instantly, she knew that Draco and Harry had been captured. She stood up quickly trying to think of a way to help them. She would not let them die like this. She looked around the room when she saw the shards of mirror, broken from the fight she had with the death eater. She ripped a piece of blanket from the bed and wrapped it around a small pin like shard of mirror on the ground. She heard Lucius talking to them down the hall and she knew she didn't have a lot of time._

_She went to the door and stuck the piece of glass into the lock. She played around with the lock until she finally heard it click. Suddenly she was thankful for the time she spent as a child learning how to pick her door lock when she accidently locked herself out of her bedroom. She smiled as she tried the handle and felt it turn. She returned to the broken mirror and wrapped the blanket around the largest shard on the floor. With it as her only weapon, she opened the door widely and came out to the hallway to see no one was there. She crept down the hallway and she could hear laughter coming from downstairs. She kept her back to the wall, her weapon in front of her as she made it to the main staircase. She was about to descend when something caught her eye. There was a wand on the floor, sitting against the wall. She made a bee line for it and her eyes widened as she realized it was Harry's wand. Relief washed over her as she had a better weapon than a simple shard of glass. She put it down and cast a spell on her feet to keep her steps from making any noise. She felt a bit of joy at holding a wand again for it had been so long._

_She took the first step down the stairs and it creaked under her weight. To her, it sounds as loud as an elephant stampede and she held herself against the wall, barely breathing. When she was sure no one had heard, she cast a spell on the stairs, to keep them from creaking. With that, she practically ran down the stairs and stopped when she reached the top of the stairs to the dungeons. She heard the death eater that was in her room and froze as she heard Draco announce that he was Rodolphus LeStrange. Again, she whispered a spell on the stairs to keep them from creaking as she slowly made her way down them._

_She heard Draco defend her and she stopped in her tracks. She felt herself flush as she heard him lunge at LeStrange and then cringe as she heard his father crucio him. She picked up her pace and was almost at the bottom of the stairs when she heard him yell at his father. _

"_If you hadn't captured me and left me in a cell with Hermione, I might not have fell, as you put it, for a muggleborn." She heard Draco yell. Her heart quickened and she felt herself flush again. She couldn't stop the smile on her face but it quickly disappeared._

"_That's it, this ends now." Lucius declared and she made her way practically stumbling to the floor._

_The rest seemed to go in slow motion. She peered around the corner and saw all the death eaters pointing their wands at the two prisoners. She saw Draco with his eyes closed a strange smile on his face while he was waiting to die and then she saw Harry who looked at her with slightly wide eyes. She raised Harry's wand and she heard Lucius yell the killing curse. She watched Harry leap to the side and push Draco out of the way. She watched as the death eater's pointed their wands and she heard herself stupefy Lucius._

"I brought you to St. Mungo's as soon as I could." She squeezed his hand as she reached the end of the story. "So, you see Draco, I heard you. I heard what you said about me. And I feel the same way. So you need to come back to me, so I can tell you that." A tear fell down her cheek as she watched the unmoving wizard. "Please come back to me, Draco."

From the doorway, Narcissa Malfoy eavesdropped on the story that saved her son's life. A tear escaped as she wiped it away quietly. She smiled and walked away, not wanting to ruin this private moment.

* * *

**A/N: Look at that! Two updates in one weekend! :-) I had a little extra time and this chapter has been layed out in my head for a while. Anyway, THANKS for the reviews! Please continue! ~Chrissy**


	12. Chapter 12

Hermione jumped as she felt Draco's hand lightly squeeze her own. She looked up at his face and saw his eyes start to open. They fluttered for a moment before they opened and then his eyes trained on her.

When his eyes finished focusing on her, a look of confusion crossed his face. "Granger, why are you holding my hand?"

Hermione looked at him and tears started to form in her eyes. "Oh, Draco! You're awake!" She said, throwing herself on top of his torso but not letting go of his hand.

Draco laid still for a moment, memories of the last fight flitting through his head. He suddenly became uncomfortable at the thought that while he had come to rescue her, she had ultimately rescued him. "Uh, Hermione, are you alright?" He asked uncertainly.

Hermione sat back up and wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked at him strangely for a moment before answering. "Oh, of course, are you?" She asked, looking at this face once again.

He took a quick stock of his body and if anything was particularly painful. Satisfied that he was all in one piece, he nodded. "I think so." He said as he attempted to sit up. Hermione quickly got up to help him and propped a pillow up behind him. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days. I only woke up a few hours ago." She blushed and nodded her head towards her bed behind her.

Draco's eyes widened. "What happened after I was knocked out? I remember you stupefying my father. I don't remember much after that." He admitted.

"You were badly hurt. Harry and I stupefied everyone else; they're all in custody now. I brought you here and then I passed out." She admitted shyly. "It hadn't been an easy few days for me."

Draco remembered that she had been in his father's clutches prior to their rescue. His eyes did a quick scan of her body but didn't see any damage and let out a breath. He nodded his head and quickly realized that she hadn't let go of his hand.

Hermione saw him looking at their interlocked fingers and she blushed. "I've been sitting here for a little while." She started to explain when he interrupted.

"I heard your story." He said quietly his cheeks flushing with the admission. He had heard her voice, almost as if it was a dream. He could, in fact, almost picture what was happening as she was telling her tale.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "You did?" She asked, surprise clearly in her voice.

"Yea." He answered. "Thanks." He added after a moment.

Hermione smiled and nodded her head. "You're welcome." She said sincerely. She hesitated as a certain part of her story stood out to her. "Did you mean it?"

Draco looked at her questioningly. "Did I mean what?"

"What you said to your father, did you mean it?" She asked while looking down at their hands. She had to know though the irrational fear that he was saying it just to spite his father had cropped up in her mind.

"Oh." Draco answered. He paused for a moment before answering, mulling over her question and remembering the scene in his mind's eye. "Yes, I meant it." He answered finally. "Did you? When you said you felt the same?"

Hermione's face broke out into a big smile, a flood of relief coming over her. "Yes, I did." She paused for a moment before continuing. "So, where does that leave us?" She asked uncertainly.

Draco squeezed her hand and thought about it. "Well, maybe when I get out of here, we could go out to dinner. Maybe we can get to know each other without our lives being in danger." He teased.

She nodded and thought about what it would be like to get to know him in a more relaxed and normal environment. "I would like that."

Draco looked around the room for the first time and took in all the different medical paraphernalia. A memory from their time in the forest, hiding in a tree came to the forefront of his mind. "You know, you don't have to stay." Draco said after a few moments, somewhat dreading that she might agree with him.

Hermione knitted her eyebrows together, not quite understanding what he was getting at. Didn't he just tell her he wanted to try being with her? "What do you mean?"

He saw the confusion on her face and then realized that what he said had come out wrong. "I meant as an auror. You don't have to stay an auror." He amended quickly. "If I recall correctly, you said you wanted to be a healer at one point."

Hermione blushed, happy that he remembered that conversation. She chastised herself for jumping to conclusions already. She thought about what he said for a moment, wondering about the opportunity to do what she had once wanted. She looked around as well and remembered how good she was at all the healing spells, even without a wand. But then she looked at her blond roommate and she smiled. "And leave you without a partner? Not a chance."

Draco smiled. "Alright but you better not regret those words." He said lightly.

Hermione chuckled. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Draco Malfoy."

"I hope that's always true." Draco said as he returned her smile, truly content with his unexpected partner.

**The End.**

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

**A/N: And there you have it, my third completed story. I don't think this one needs an epilogue. I struggled for a bit with deciding whether or not to give Draco amnesia and have Hermione trying to get him to remember. But I decided that I was happy with the way the story ended up and she really didn't need more stress. Haha. THANK YOU to all my reviewers. You truly make writing a fun and rewarding experience. **

**Look out for my next story, the working title so far is "Head to Head". I believe the premise so far is a 7th year Hogwarts story, where Ron and Harry are in Auror Training and Draco and Hermione returns as Head Boy/Girl for the year. Draco is somewhat unwillingly betrothed to Pansy and Hermione and Ron are attempting a long distance relationship. The story will be about whether or not Draco and Hermione can resist each other and they will certainly try. :-) What do you think? Has it been done? Has it been overdone? I will of course try to add my own personal touches to it, so hopefully it won't be too similar to anything else. But, I'm not a big fan of overused story lines, so let me know. **

**THANK YOU again to all my reviewers! I hope you continue to read my stories! **

**~Chrissy**


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